Be prepared, Buckeye fans, over the next few weeks and months you're likely to hear a number of new names being targeted as a potential quarterback for Ohio State. One of those names, Sheriron Jones, Jr. from Moreno Valley, California, has been hearing from the Buckeyes for roughly the last month. He's been recruited by the Buckeyes' Tom Herman, and he hopes to meet the Ohio State offensive coordinator in person sometime soon.
"I've been talking to (Tom) Herman for about a month or so," Jones told Eleven Warriors. "Just phone calls mostly, I'm hoping (he comes out to visit) next week."
Herman, who is scheduled to be in California next week to check out Travis Waller from Anaheim, has quickly earned the respect of the Rancho Verde High School star.
"It's a very comfortable relationship with him, we almost never talk about football. It's more just about getting to know me as a person," he said of Herman. "He only misses my calls or messages when he's with his family, and that's something I respect as a man, knowing how important they are to him. He even told me he wanted to send my mom a mother's day card, that was something I didn't expect."
What will Herman find if he visits Moreno Valley? A 6-foot-2, 180 pound quarterback clad in scarlet and gray. Rancho Verde even awards pride stickers similar to the Buckeyes' historic leaf. That is one tradition of many that has had the nation's 7th-ranked dual-threat quarterback interested in the Buckeyes.
"What's got me thinking about Ohio State is the tradition," he said. "I just love talking to them. Urban Meyer went there and didn't change a thing, even though he came into a tough situation. He took what was there and did it Ohio State's way and have been close to national championships already. They always do what they want to do, and they don't change. If I was to get an offer from them, I'd want to go visit. I just can't visit places that haven't offered yet."
Recruiting hasn't really cranked up yet for Jones, but it's starting to. He's only visited two schools; Arizona State last fall and Colorado recently. He believes that as the national quarterback scene begins to take shape he's got some choices to make. He currently has offers from Arizona State, Indiana, Nebraska, Arizona, Colorado and Akron, but you should expect those numbers to jump soon.
"It seems like half the quarterbacks in the country have already committed, so I might need to make a choice soon to make sure I have my spot," Jones said of his timeline. "I had wanted to commit after our first game of the year. All the schools that have offered are still near the top of my list, even those that have quarterback commitments already. They're all talking to me, making me feel important and continuing to recruit me so I am making sure I am keeping all my options open."
Jones is interested in leaving California for college, and whichever school lands him will secure a savvy, intelligent prospect who isn't focused solely on football. That doesn't mean, of course, that he's lacking confidence in his game.
"When schools talk to me, they tell me they like that I stay in the pocket and try and pick teams apart with my arm, but that I can still move when I need to, because I could fit into any scheme and I read defenses well," he said of his game. "Off the field, I'm a straight-forward guy who doesn't like to cause problems. I want to major in kinesiology in college, and I know a lot of athletes do, but it's something I really want to do after I am done playing. I like knowing I could help other athletes when I am out of the game."
