Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 49 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY COREY BODDEN Even after he made a commitment to Notre Dame, wide receiver Micah Jones kept competing and competing. The 6-5, 202-pounder participated in the seven-on-seven circuit along with national camps such as Under Armour and Nike Football's The Opening Chicago Regional. That love for competition and the desire to improve likely stems from when Jones was an eighth grader and his family decided to tackle the foot- ball road full force. Participating at camps became common for Jones while he worked to elevate his game against top com- pletion in hopes of landing Power Five offers. A big one came in June 2016 when Notre Dame offered fol- lowing his performance at the pro- gram's Irish Invasion camp. Even though he had Notre Dame, Northwestern, Michigan State, Ne- braska, Ole Miss, Illinois and others knocking on his door, Jones kept at- tending camps and playing seven-on- seven unlike other athletes that may slow down a bit to not risk injury. "Just because I had everything I had, I wasn't going to stop working and getting better," he stated. "I went to all the camps I could to go against as much as completion as I could to get ready to be at Notre Dame and play the elite talent we're going to play. "It was a great experience for me and I couldn't pass that up. Having my parents putting me in the situation to go to camps and play with [Mid- west] BOOM [an organization that helps athletes develop advanced foot- ball skills], it was a great experience." Jones' hard work eventually led him to select Notre Dame in Febru- ary of last year to take advantage of the opportunities the school can offer and the time and money spent by his family to help him succeed. "You can't really go wrong with Notre Dame," he explained. "Either way, you're going to end up doing well in life if you use it how you should. "Having said that, later in life when I look back on it I'm definitely going to repay my parents as much as I can given what they have done for me. Be- ing able to go to Notre Dame is a great experience for me and my family. "They've given up so much for me to be where I am right now. … It means a lot that they would give up so much of their time and move to help me reach my goals. Taking me to camps, driving me to events and spending money on training." Due to his status as an early enrollee, Jones didn't have to wait like many of his future teammates to arrive in South Bend and enter a fierce position room. But competing against the best is cer- tainly nothing new for Jones. ✦ MICAH JONES WIDE RECEIVER 6-5 · 202 WARREN H.S. GURNEE, ILL. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 192 38 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 69 5 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 131 15 STATISTICS • Hauled in 53 catches for 824 yards (15.5 yards per grab) and 12 touchdowns as a senior. • Notched 22 receptions for 232 yards (10.5 yards per catch) and two scores during his junior year. HONORS • Named The Chicago Tribune News-Sun 2017 Football Player of the Year. • Tabbed as an All-USA Illinois first-team wide receiver by USA Today. • Also selected to the 2017 Illinois Coaches As- sociation 8A All-State Team and the 2017 News- Gazette All-State Football Team. • Listed on the 2017 all-area teams for The Chicago Tribune News-Sun and Lake County Daily Herald. • Four-star member of the PrepStar Top 300 Dream Team, and was ranked as the No. 42 wide receiver and No. 243 overall recruit in the land. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in Nike Football's The Opening Chicago Regional on April 2, 2017. Ran a 4.88 40-yard dash and a 4.47 pro shuttle, and posted a 31.6-inch vertical leap. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Feb. 17, 2017, over Northwestern, Michigan State, Illinois, Ne- braska, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Iowa State, Missis- sippi State and others. • Dominated at Notre Dame's 2016 Irish Inva- sion camp, a performance that led to him receiv- ing an offer shortly after. Despite interest from a number of Big Ten and SEC schools, he narrowed his focus over the winter and Notre Dame be- came the clear choice. • Visited Notre Dame several times during the 2017 season, but took his official for the Echoes Awards banquet on Dec. 8. 2017. • Primarily recruited by former offensive coor- dinator and wide receivers coach Mike Denbrock before he departed. Current wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander took over his recruitment toward the end. NOTABLE • Born on Nov. 11, 1999. • Treasurer for the Local Chapter of the Sigma Beta Club (Youth Auxiliary Group of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity). • Sigma Beta state chapter presented Jones with a Community Leader Award, the Athletics Award and named him an Outstanding Leader. • Recognized by the Warren Township School Board with a Special Recognition Award for being selected All-State and School Leadership. • His father, Mark Jones, played football at Prairie View A&M. He is an engineer, while Jones' mother is microbiologist. 2018 PROJECTION • Jones has the size and ball skills to push for playing time as a true freshman. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "Micah is more of a boundary player, big, physical, can win one-on-one matchups. We love that about him, and his size." Wide receivers coach DelVaughn Alexander: "Micah's big, he's a rebounder, he can run and he's deceptive, so in the mold of an EQ [Equanimeous St. Brown], Miles Boykin or Chase Claypool. "He had been a guy that was identified here at a camp. … He stood out, held his own and was very impressive." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "With Jones getting the ball more than ever before as a senior, he was able to put his skill set on even greater display. He has elite size and truly outstanding ball skills. He does a great job high-pointing the foot- ball and competing for the ball when it is in the air. "He is a quality athlete for his size, but improving his speed is a must. He knows how to get open, he positions himself well and he knows his strengths and his limitations. He can make plays all over the field, but jump balls down the field and work in the red zone is his forte." Competition And Family Helped Lead Micah Jones To ND Jones' early start participating in camps helped him gain a competitive drive during his recruitment. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL