The Wolverine

March 2022

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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2022 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE CONNOR JONES OFFENSIVE TACKLE 6-7 • 285 PALMER RIDGE H.S. MONUMENT, COLO. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ 903 68 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 52 3 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 123 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — — — ✪ ✪ ✪ — 82 5 64 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2022 HONORS • Two-year team captain; allowed three sacks in three varsity seasons. • Class 3A state champions in 2019 and class 4A runners-up in 2020. • Selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Game. • Recognized as the 2021 4A South- ern 1 Lineman of the Year. • First-team all-state selection as a junior and senior. • Two-time first-team All-Pikes Peak Region honoree. • First-team all-conference pick as a junior and senior. RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan Dec. 24, 2020 after picking up his offer from the Maize and Blue in September 2020. • First commit in U-M's 2022 class. • Picked U-M over notable offers from Indiana, Virginia and Northwestern. • Recruited by offensive line coach Sherrone Moore. DID YOU KNOW? • Led the Palmer Ridge offense to 37 points per game as a senior. • As a junior, he helped his team av- erage more than 400 yards of offense per game with 32 pancake blocks. • Started 33 straight games and helped his team go 28-5 in three years. • Is an early enrollee at Michigan. • Born Oct. 4, 2003. THEY SAID IT • Matt McChesney, former NFL of- fensive lineman and Denver-area trainer: "He's really good in space. He uses his length well rather than just having it. There is a huge differ- ence. He's really consistent on that and playing on the inside of his feet rather than on his toes or his heels. He's far from perfect, but the thing that separates Connor is he's a natural leader. He's very vocal." BY CLAYTON SAYFIE When Connor Jones began going through winter conditioning with his new team in early January, it was noth- ing new. In fact, the Monument (Colo.) Palmer Ridge three-star product has been watching film and training at a rigorous level since he was 11 years old. "When he got into high school, it was like, okay, we need to get him specific offensive line training, and that's when we met with Matt McChesney his fresh- man year. It really went up from there," Jones' father, Travis, said. Jones and his family drove nearly an hour four to five times per week to the Denver area to work out with McChesney and Six Zero Academy. "If you really want to do this, then you're going to have to do things that others aren't willing to do so that you can do what others won't be able to do," Travis said of what he told Connor, who embraced that mindset. That work, and Jones' natural skills, led to opportunities at the next level. He re- ceived offers from Colorado State, North- western and Indiana, among others. He went on a self-guided tour in the fall of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he was blown away, wanting to com- mit on the spot. He took some time to weigh his options before officially settling on the Maize and Blue, which had just come off a dismal 2-4 season, and made his pledge public Christmas Eve of 2020. Former offensive line coach Ed Warin- ner was his primary recruiter, but he was let go just weeks later and Sherrone Moore — formerly the tight ends mentor — was moved over to the position in addition to being promoted to co-offensive co- ordinator. Jones, a U-M fan growing up, remained unfazed. "We respect and ap- preciate the time that Coach Warinner spent, but we aren't commit- ting to a person; we're committing to a uni- versity that was pro- viding the things that he felt were important," Travis Jones explained before he added that Connor is excited about U-M's kinesiology pro- gram. Moore reached out to Jones the day after receiving the new post, and the two began building a strong rap- port with each other. "I didn't feel like Coach Moore had to recruit him," Travis Jones said. "They just had to build the relationship, and that's what they did. When we went out to the official [visit] in June, that was awesome. We felt welcomed, we felt a part of the family immediately and it was great." "We just clicked right away," Connor Jones added. "It was super easy to create a relationship." Throughout his prep senior season, Jones and Moore would periodically get together online and watch film. The pupil took his future position coach's pointers to heart and saw his game improve. Now at U-M as an early enrollee, Jones understands it may take some time to get on the field, but he's willing to continue doing the work to get there. "He's appreciated everyone that's helped him in the college football recruit- ing world and everything, but at the same time, he's had a chip on his shoulder, like he's not been evaluated at the level that he feels he's at," Travis Jones said. And he's ready to prove any doubters wrong. ❑ Lifelong Michigan Fan Connor Jones Is Loyal And Hardworking Jones was the first commit in U-M's 2022 class, announcing Christmas Eve of 2020, and he never wavered. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND 2022 Projection Jones had a successful high school career but will need some time in the weight room to add mass to his frame before he's ready to play. An extremely hard worker that will learn quickly. Recruited as a true left tackle, but could see time on the right side or interior. High potential. consensus

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