Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BY ANDREW IVINS Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy three-star running back Tony Jones wasn't supposed to commit to Notre Dame when he took an unofficial visit to campus March 21. He just wanted to get a feel for the school before return- ing home. But sometimes, things don't go as planned. Jones said he fell in love with Notre Dame on the visit, and that's why he committed to the Irish on the spot and didn't wait to see other schools. "It just felt right to me and my fam- ily," Jones said. "I like the tradition, the coaching and the players. I com- mitted to [assistant coach] Autry Den- son and head coach Brian Kelly at the same time, and they were very excited. "They said I'm the type of back that they don't have. One that's big and can move, can catch the ball out of the backfield, pass block and run down- hill." While Jones can certainly do all of those things, that's not the reason why he's in line to become the fourth run- ning back out of the state of Florida to sign with Notre Dame since 2013. Jones' father –– Tony Jones Sr. –– played for Irish associate head coach Mike Denbrock at Illinois State, which meant when Notre Dame came calling in February with a scholarship offer, Jones was ready to listen. "I have known Coach Denbrock for a long time," Jones Sr. said. "When Tony got offered we knew that we were go- ing to give Notre Dame a look." That look turned into a visit, and that visit turned into a commitment. Jones arrived in South Bend with the perception that Notre Dame could be a potential fit, but he wasn't sure if the school could provide him with what he wanted. It didn't long for Denbrock and Denson to show him that Notre Dame could give him exactly what he desired in a college. "He's always wanted to play in the COMMITMENT PROFILE TONY JONES Florida Running Back Did What Felt Right Jones, who has already been invited to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Game, is ranked as the No. 29 running back in the country by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM