Buffs May Have Found Top Flight RB in Jones

Bumped to the front page.  Great write-up.  - Jon Woods

Say so long to Mister and hello to Tony. So the Buffs lost Mister Jones to Texas A&m, they may have just landed the better of the two Jones'. Dan Hawkins has received an oral commitment from New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year Tony Jones. The 5-8, 180 pound Jones guided national power Don Bosco Prep to a fourth straight state championship and a consensus national number one ranking. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed. I've seen Jones play a couple times and he is a dominant football player in a state that is full of talent. He scored 36 touchdowns this season setting a state record and also rushed for over 13-hundred yards while sitting out the 2nd halves of 6 of his team's 12 games. When Jones breaks into the open field, he's gone.

Don Bosco is a traditional power in Northern New Jersey and has produced a number of top flight college football players. Ryan Grant of the Packers and Michael Ray Garvin of the Lions come to mind. I've read where some of the prep columinsts in the area think Jones might be the best prep running back they've seen. Strange that he had no other offers from Division One schools but it appears the fact that he was a late qualifyer may have scared some teams off. Both Boston College and Michigan had extended offers to Jones but both schools wanted him to commit early. When he didn't and remained patient, the Wolverines and Eagles pulled back their offers. Michigan St. and Indiana starting showing interest in Jones after he scored 5 touchdowns in the state title game but Colorado kept after him the hardest. That's their loss and the Buffs gain. Jones is an explosive playmaker which is exactly what the Buffs have been missing and need. Dan Hawkins and two of his assistants visited Jones at Don Bosco Prep and made quite an impression.

“I didn’t really get nervous, but after awhile, when nothing was coming, I did start to wonder,” said the Paterson resident. “I just wanted to be patient, and I didn’t want to rush anything [throughout the process]. I was hoping the Colorado coaches would come through, and when they did, it was a little stunning, because I didn’t expect it [Tuesday].”

He paused before adding with a laugh: “I felt like I wanted to cry; that’s how excited I was.”

Jones commited on the spot and is scheduled to visit Boulder next weekend. Here's what one of his assistant coaches had to say tonight. “He’s ready to go [academically], qualified and cleared across the board, and all his ducks are in a row,” Don Bosco assistant coach Billy Lopez said. “I think Colorado stole a real good kid from Jersey, to be honest with you. Tony’s done everything we asked of him here, and he has earned this opportunity.”

I think the Buffs just landed the crown jewel so far in this recruiting class.