UCLA or USC for Jones?
Jack Jones' recruitment has been a bit of a mystery to many close to the situation. Early on, he had Iman Marshall / Adoree Jackson / Juju Smith written all over him. Lately, however, the buzz has been anything but USC.
On Friday night, he explained why: USC just isn't recruiting him hard.
"I mean, there could be any reason that SC is not talking to me," Jones said. "Like, maybe they're busy trying to work on players at the college right now. I don't expect colleges to put me as their priority just because I'm in high school still. And they have to worry about the kids that's at the college level right now."
Asked if UCLA is recruiting him harder, Jones said emphatically, "Yeah."
A lot harder?
"Not that much harder, but a lot harder. Yeah."
Jones visited Texas A&M this weekend. He officially visited Arizona State for the USC game last weekend. He's lining up a Florida visit for the near future.
Yet Friday night, when asked if he has seriously considered giving a commitment out, he let it slip that there have been times he's nearly pulled the trigger on a pledge to both of the local schools.
"I've been thinking about it like, 'Yeah, this college has been talking to me a lot,'" Jones said. "I like the way they use their players. I mean, it's just, I like the way (USC) uses Adoree'. And then UCLA is telling me I could come in and play both sides. If I want to start defense, then they'd give me a chance to start defense and then they would put a package for me on offense. The same thing (on offense), vice versa and they also said I would get a little bit of special teams."
From the sounds of things during the interview Friday night, Jones would probably like to go to USC, but he's baffled at the way it's recruiting him. The longer the Trojans go without really putting the heat on him, the more he becomes intrigued with the idea of being the next two-way star at UCLA. So keep an eye on this one, particularly if the Trojans continue to make him feel like a Plan B.
On a side note, check out what Jones had to say about Josh Rosen:
"Josh Rosen is the man," Jones said. "Josh Rosen is definitely the man. He's going to take UCLA to the BCS maybe in the next year or two and I feel he's going to win a Heisman in the next year or two. The man is crazy. He's very good."
Official visitor update
UCLA played host to seven official visitors this weekend. Three commitments (Krys Barnes, Matt Lynch and Demetric Felton), one lean (Theo Howard) and three longshots (Dontavious Jackson, Rashard Lewis and Chris Brown).
When reached for a comment on how the UCLA visit went this weekend, Howard had one word to give: "Amazing." Obviously, the follow up was, "Any thoughts of a commitment?"
The four-star said he'll still take his Texas A&M visit and he's still targeting a Notre Dame visit before he makes his pledge: "Still plan to take my visits," he said.
Felton said his visit went extremely well and he remains 100 percent solid to UCLA. He said he's coming in as a slot receiver and the plan, for now, is to enroll in January.
Of the uncommitted official visitors, Felton said he got good vibes.
On Howard: "I'm going to be on Theo because I'm going to try to get him to commit pretty soon. … I didn't get the vibe that he was ready to commit, but I got the vibe that he really liked it and I know we're the top right now."
On Lewis, Brown and Jackson: "They seemed like they had a really good time too. I think we could pull in some really good guys."
Brown, a Houston defensive back, told us late Sunday night he really enjoyed the trip, citing the Rose Bowl atmosphere, the coaching staff, the food, the weather and much more as the highlights. He said he's nowhere near making a decision, he said he and Jackson are not a package deal, and he'll take all of his visits before really figuring things out.
Here's a look at how their trips looked via social media:
https://twitter.com/theohoward2/status/650809677379334144
https://twitter.com/Kingwole47/status/650757409560915968
Friday night lights update
While we were out watching Jones Friday night (who looked every bit like the next Adoree' Jackson), Blair Angulo was over at Chaminade-Loyola. Here was his take on the UCLA targets in that game:
-Four-star wide receiver Dymond Lee of Chaminade showed the ability to create separation down field and, when he lined up behind center, was elusive enough to evade the first wave of rushers. On one play, Lee left the pocket by sprinting to his left before firing a 20-yard pass that was exactly where it needed to be. The results for his labor weren't there -- Lee saw a handful of passes sail over his head when he was open and often had to adjust his route to find the football -- but he definitely showed the potential to be a versatile weapon for UCLA in the future.
-Running back Drake Beasley, a 2017 prospect for Loyola, was incredibly tough between the tackles and burst through holes with good vision. He showed a quick first step and fought for extra yardage after contact -- traits should make him one of the area's better ball carriers in his class. The Bruins offered last week but they probably won't be the last.
-Some program could be getting a steal in three-star cornerback Myles Bryant, who is down to Colorado, UCLA and Washington. He was explosive on offense and special teams, and had a touchdown on 135 receiving yards. Bryant made numerous defenders miss in open space.
Short Shots
-The visitor list we had up Friday night was pretty accurate to what we saw at the game Saturday. The one notable we left off, though, was four-star OL Alex Akingbulu. The big tackle was wearing a UCLA keychain that looked to be years old - clearly showing he's been a Bruin fan for a while. He seems poised to pop as soon as UCLA gives him the OK that it will accept his commitment.
-New UCLA 2017 linebacker commit Jaquan Henderson visited Indiana this weekend for its game against Ohio State.
-A few UCLA targets committed elsewhere this week. Four-star 2017 DL Kayden Lyles and four-star 2016 DL Garrett Rand both pledged to Wisconsin. A source also informed Rivals.com that four-star Upland RB Nate Tilford is silently committed to USC.
Jack Jones' recruitment has been a bit of a mystery to many close to the situation. Early on, he had Iman Marshall / Adoree Jackson / Juju Smith written all over him. Lately, however, the buzz has been anything but USC.
On Friday night, he explained why: USC just isn't recruiting him hard.
"I mean, there could be any reason that SC is not talking to me," Jones said. "Like, maybe they're busy trying to work on players at the college right now. I don't expect colleges to put me as their priority just because I'm in high school still. And they have to worry about the kids that's at the college level right now."
Asked if UCLA is recruiting him harder, Jones said emphatically, "Yeah."
A lot harder?
"Not that much harder, but a lot harder. Yeah."
Jones visited Texas A&M this weekend. He officially visited Arizona State for the USC game last weekend. He's lining up a Florida visit for the near future.
Yet Friday night, when asked if he has seriously considered giving a commitment out, he let it slip that there have been times he's nearly pulled the trigger on a pledge to both of the local schools.
"I've been thinking about it like, 'Yeah, this college has been talking to me a lot,'" Jones said. "I like the way they use their players. I mean, it's just, I like the way (USC) uses Adoree'. And then UCLA is telling me I could come in and play both sides. If I want to start defense, then they'd give me a chance to start defense and then they would put a package for me on offense. The same thing (on offense), vice versa and they also said I would get a little bit of special teams."
From the sounds of things during the interview Friday night, Jones would probably like to go to USC, but he's baffled at the way it's recruiting him. The longer the Trojans go without really putting the heat on him, the more he becomes intrigued with the idea of being the next two-way star at UCLA. So keep an eye on this one, particularly if the Trojans continue to make him feel like a Plan B.
On a side note, check out what Jones had to say about Josh Rosen:
"Josh Rosen is the man," Jones said. "Josh Rosen is definitely the man. He's going to take UCLA to the BCS maybe in the next year or two and I feel he's going to win a Heisman in the next year or two. The man is crazy. He's very good."
Official visitor update
UCLA played host to seven official visitors this weekend. Three commitments (Krys Barnes, Matt Lynch and Demetric Felton), one lean (Theo Howard) and three longshots (Dontavious Jackson, Rashard Lewis and Chris Brown).
When reached for a comment on how the UCLA visit went this weekend, Howard had one word to give: "Amazing." Obviously, the follow up was, "Any thoughts of a commitment?"
The four-star said he'll still take his Texas A&M visit and he's still targeting a Notre Dame visit before he makes his pledge: "Still plan to take my visits," he said.
Felton said his visit went extremely well and he remains 100 percent solid to UCLA. He said he's coming in as a slot receiver and the plan, for now, is to enroll in January.
Of the uncommitted official visitors, Felton said he got good vibes.
On Howard: "I'm going to be on Theo because I'm going to try to get him to commit pretty soon. … I didn't get the vibe that he was ready to commit, but I got the vibe that he really liked it and I know we're the top right now."
On Lewis, Brown and Jackson: "They seemed like they had a really good time too. I think we could pull in some really good guys."
Brown, a Houston defensive back, told us late Sunday night he really enjoyed the trip, citing the Rose Bowl atmosphere, the coaching staff, the food, the weather and much more as the highlights. He said he's nowhere near making a decision, he said he and Jackson are not a package deal, and he'll take all of his visits before really figuring things out.
Here's a look at how their trips looked via social media:
https://twitter.com/theohoward2/status/650809677379334144
https://twitter.com/Kingwole47/status/650757409560915968
Friday night lights update
While we were out watching Jones Friday night (who looked every bit like the next Adoree' Jackson), Blair Angulo was over at Chaminade-Loyola. Here was his take on the UCLA targets in that game:
-Four-star wide receiver Dymond Lee of Chaminade showed the ability to create separation down field and, when he lined up behind center, was elusive enough to evade the first wave of rushers. On one play, Lee left the pocket by sprinting to his left before firing a 20-yard pass that was exactly where it needed to be. The results for his labor weren't there -- Lee saw a handful of passes sail over his head when he was open and often had to adjust his route to find the football -- but he definitely showed the potential to be a versatile weapon for UCLA in the future.
-Running back Drake Beasley, a 2017 prospect for Loyola, was incredibly tough between the tackles and burst through holes with good vision. He showed a quick first step and fought for extra yardage after contact -- traits should make him one of the area's better ball carriers in his class. The Bruins offered last week but they probably won't be the last.
-Some program could be getting a steal in three-star cornerback Myles Bryant, who is down to Colorado, UCLA and Washington. He was explosive on offense and special teams, and had a touchdown on 135 receiving yards. Bryant made numerous defenders miss in open space.
Short Shots
-The visitor list we had up Friday night was pretty accurate to what we saw at the game Saturday. The one notable we left off, though, was four-star OL Alex Akingbulu. The big tackle was wearing a UCLA keychain that looked to be years old - clearly showing he's been a Bruin fan for a while. He seems poised to pop as soon as UCLA gives him the OK that it will accept his commitment.
-New UCLA 2017 linebacker commit Jaquan Henderson visited Indiana this weekend for its game against Ohio State.
-A few UCLA targets committed elsewhere this week. Four-star 2017 DL Kayden Lyles and four-star 2016 DL Garrett Rand both pledged to Wisconsin. A source also informed Rivals.com that four-star Upland RB Nate Tilford is silently committed to USC.
