The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/465847
2015 RECRUITING ISSUE Myer said. "I can remember back on one of Reuben's first visits he was laid-back and quiet during the meet- ing. He didn't divulge a whole lot of information of how he really felt, but as the process progressed through the months and years you could re- ally see the way he matured. "He was sitting down and figur- ing out what the schools wanted to do with him. He was very cerebral in asking good questions to get the answers that he needed. "Over the years and sitting with Reuben and a lot of other players, it really was amazing to listen to the questions that he asked the coaches and to listen to the answers he gave them when they asked questions. That's something that I'll never for- get about Reuben. It was amazing to see him grow and mature in that aspect." Enthusiasm must attract enthusi- asm because Harbaugh quoted Jones' family in a way that seems to sum up the young man perfectly. "His family told me, 'He under- stands that life is what you make of it,'" Harbaugh said. "Reuben is a young man who encourages others around him to strive for excellence. His family told me he has 'a heart of gold,' and that Reuben is a strong leader who looks at every situation in a positive light." — Brandon Brown PERSONAL Reuben Jamal Jones was born Feb. 10, 1996, in Bartow, Fla. … Was the first prospect to commit to Michigan under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, on Jan. 24 before a U-M basketball game … High school assistant coach was former Michigan offensive lineman Ricky Bar- num Jr. (2009-12), the only other Lake Gibson alum to play at Michigan … Boasts a 4.6 40-yard dash time, a max bench of 340 pounds, a power clean of 300 and a squat of 465. RANKINGS Consensus rating of the four major recruiting services: three-star prospect, the No. 69 defensive end nationally and the No. 92 player in Florida. STATISTICS Career Totals: Played in 40 of 43 ca- reer contests with the varsity team, re- cording 212 tackles, 55.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 27.5 sacks … Recorded five forced fumbles and four recoveries, earned a two-point safety and had one pass broken up … Regis- tered 21 tackles, including two for loss, in four career Class 6A playoff games … Tallied 10 or more tackles in five career contests and had two or more sacks in eight career games. Senior Season: Appeared in all 11 games for a Lake Gibson team that went 9-2, falling in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs … Secured 71 total tack- les, and set career highs in tackles for loss (24) and sacks (10) … Forced and recovered a fumble … Ranked first on the team in both QB takedowns and tackles for loss, and fourth in total stops … Recorded 13 tackles, seven stops for loss and three sacks in a 32-6 win over Palmetto Sept. 26 … Named first-team all-state for Class 6A by the Associated Press and voted first-team all-county by PolkPreps.com (the preps website for The Lakeland Ledger). Junior Season: Played in 10 games for a Braves team that went 7-3 and fell in the first round of the state playoffs … Notched a career-high 87 tackles, 19.5 total tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks … Forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and had one pass broken up … Led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and quarterback takedowns … Secured a career-high 14 tackles, plus four tackles REUBEN JONES DEFENSIVE END 6-4 • 225 LAKE GIBSON HIGH SCHOOL LAKELAND, FLA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 27 69 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 58 106 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 44 100 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 145 —