I just had to chance to speak again with new Notre Dame three-star linebacker commit Jamir Jones and he really opened up about the process. I'll probably cover a lot of what he said on the recruiting podcast with @Bryan Driskell later this week, but just wanted to knock out some quick hitters.
- Jones held eight scholarship offers, but if his brother wasn't Jarron Jones, that number likely would have been more. Jamir said almost every time he talked with another school, Notre Dame was brought up in the conversation because of Jarron. He visited Penn State for the Nittany Lions spring game back in April, and the coaches were hesitant to offer him a scholarship because they thought Notre Dame would eventually get involved. The same can be said about Miami.
- Jones claims he's up to 230 pounds right now, but defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder told him that if he gets around 260, they will start him at defensive end. Jones has added a ton of weight to his frame this summer because he's in the weight room, and not playing lacrosse and basketball. Another 30-pound jump might seem like a lot, but Jones' frame will allow for the extra pounds, assuming it's all good weight.
- Jones played quarterback, tight end, linebacker and defensive end last season at Rochester (NY) Aquinas High, but he said he'll only line up at defensive end and wide receiver next season. He laughed when I asked about his time at quarterback.
- While it's pretty obvious why Jones committed to Notre Dame, he said what really pushed him to make the decision was seeing what the school did for his brother. "It made his dreams come true," Jones said. "I want that." Just hours before Jamir committed, Notre Dame's official football account tweeted used a picture of Jarron. We don't think the tweet was planned, but there was certainly some foreshadowing with it.
Like I said, I'll have more on the podcast.
- Jones held eight scholarship offers, but if his brother wasn't Jarron Jones, that number likely would have been more. Jamir said almost every time he talked with another school, Notre Dame was brought up in the conversation because of Jarron. He visited Penn State for the Nittany Lions spring game back in April, and the coaches were hesitant to offer him a scholarship because they thought Notre Dame would eventually get involved. The same can be said about Miami.
- Jones claims he's up to 230 pounds right now, but defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder told him that if he gets around 260, they will start him at defensive end. Jones has added a ton of weight to his frame this summer because he's in the weight room, and not playing lacrosse and basketball. Another 30-pound jump might seem like a lot, but Jones' frame will allow for the extra pounds, assuming it's all good weight.
- Jones played quarterback, tight end, linebacker and defensive end last season at Rochester (NY) Aquinas High, but he said he'll only line up at defensive end and wide receiver next season. He laughed when I asked about his time at quarterback.
- While it's pretty obvious why Jones committed to Notre Dame, he said what really pushed him to make the decision was seeing what the school did for his brother. "It made his dreams come true," Jones said. "I want that." Just hours before Jamir committed, Notre Dame's official football account tweeted used a picture of Jarron. We don't think the tweet was planned, but there was certainly some foreshadowing with it.
Like I said, I'll have more on the podcast.
