Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1082442
P L A Y E R B I O S WHAT HE DID Jones was three-year let- terman at Columbia High School in Lake City, Fla. The Tigers went 24-10 during those three seasons, including an impres- sive 9-1 regular-season =nish in 2018. Jones and his teammates earned one of four No. 1 seeds in the FHSAA Class 7A tournament. However, a@er winning in the =rst round, the Tigers were upset in the second round, =nishing the year with a 10-2 record. Jones had the best season of his career as a senior, totaling 44 re- ceptions for 904 yards and 10 touch- downs. As a junior, he =nished with 31 catches for 738 yards and six TDs. WHAT HE WON Jones is a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com. He's the 82nd-ranked prospect in Florida and the 64th-ranked wide receiver in the Class of 2019. He also earned a spot on The Florida Times-Union Super 24 fol- lowing his senior season. WHERE HE VISITED Dating back to the summer of 2017, Jones earned 38 scholar- ship o>ers. Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss and South Florida all earned uno?cial visits, while Texas A&M earned an o?cial visit in April. However, a@er the season, Indiana, Miami and Mississippi State were the three schools showing the most interest. Penn State originally o>ered in May but didn't renew its interest until Emery Sim- mons switched his commitment to North Carolina in December. A@er multiple in- home visits with Ja'Juan Seider and even- tually Gerad Parker, Jones took an o?cial visit to Penn State Jan. 25-27. Indiana also earned a late o?cial visit, but the Lions ultimately earned his commitment. QUOTABLE James Franklin: "We kind of fell in love with him late in the process. Obviously, Coach Seider's connection there [was helpful]. ... He had a bunch of o>ers from all over the country. And, again, he's another prospect who we think has a lot of upside." PHIL'S TAKE Jones might be a bit under- rated, at least to judge by his three-star evaluation from Rivals. He appears to have good speed and a great pair of hands. When he gets the ball in space, he has the moves to make tacklers miss. Jones can produce yards a@er the catch and has the athletic ability to take it the distance every time he catches the foot- ball. He can play either the slot or the Z wide receiver spot in Penn State's three- wide receiver set and is also an excellent punt- and kicko>-return prospect who could have a role on special teams as well. Given all the recent attrition in Penn State's receiver corps, he'll likely have a chance to compete for playing time this fall. ■ THINK FAST Jones caught 75 passes dur- ing his last two seasons at Co- lumbia High, in- cluding 44 receptions for 904 yards as a senior. Photo courtesy of Ri- vals.com Rivals.com T.J. JONES RIVALS ★★★ | POS WR | HT 5-11 | WT 191 | HOME Lake City, Fla. | SCHOOL Columbia