Position: Running Back
Ht/Wt: 5’11" / 196 lbs.
Location: Washburn High School – Minneapolis, MN
Offers: Minnesota, Florida, Iowa State, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Syracuse, Wisconsin
Ranking: ★★★★ .9454 (247 Composite)
This isn’t exactly breaking news at this point but it is something to watch as signing day nears. 2014 RB Jeff Jones is currently committed to his home-state Golden Gophers but after his MVP performance during the Under Armour All American game his recruiting is more hectic now than it’s ever been.
Jones committed to Minnesota back in March and has flown under the radar for most of that time period. Once he landed in Florida for the UA game, that all changed. He routinely caught the attention of coaches and reporters during the week of practice and took his performance to even another level during the actual game.
I was able to exchange just a few messages with Jeff about his Michigan offer and his revved up recruitment. He told me that his recruitment is a lot crazier now than it ever has been. He also said with a laugh that he thought all of that stuff was supposed to be over with once he committed. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your standpoint, his phenomenal performances have led to a late upswing in his recruitment.
Jones visited Michigan back in June and left impressed but wasn’t pursued very aggressively at that time. After his showing in St. Petersburg the Wolverine coaching staff wasted no time in extending an offer, one that Jones says is big news.
Michigan wasn’t the only school to take notice of Jones’ performance in Florida, as the Gators extended an offer as well. Jones isn’t certain whether he’ll visit anywhere else or not and didn’t offer up any information as to what his plan is moving forward. He currently remains a “soft commit” to Minnesota and I’m sure Jerry Kill and staff are working overtime to make sure he stays that way until February 5 when faxes start rolling in. I think Michigan has a slim, outside chance to make a late impression on Jones. I believe it would’ve been a very different story had the coaches chosen to really go after him following his visit to Ann Arbor this past summer.