Ohio State received good news on the recruiting trail Sunday when the Buckeyes landed their top quarterback target in the 2017 class after Tate Martell announced his commitment.
More good quarterback news could be on the way soon.
"Ohio State is probably my leader right now," Emory Jones said Tuesday afternoon after he was leaving the Woody Hayes Athletic Center following his unofficial visit.
Jones said he plans to make a decision sometime this month, and if he winds up pledging to the Buckeyes it would be quite the quarterback haul landing both Jones and Martell in such a short period of time.
Ohio State also already has Joe Burrow and 2016 signee Dwayne Haskins on its roster for the upcoming season, and once J.T. Barrett opts to leave — he still has two years of eligibility remaining — the Buckeyes' quarterback room would be loaded with young talent with Burrow, Haskins, Martell, fellow 2017 commit Danny Clark and, potentially, Jones in the 2018 class.
But while one would think all of those names could potentially hurt Ohio State in the running for Jones, the nation's No. 2-rated dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 class said the Buckeyes' stacked quarterback room won't affect his recruitment.
“The commitments aren’t really affecting me; I know everywhere I go I’m going to have to compete anyway," Jones said. "Them pointing me out as their top 2018 quarterback, that’s exciting.”
Jones — a 6-foot-2, 193-pounder from Heard County High School in Franklin, Georgia — said his favorite player to watch the last few years was former Ohio State quarterback-turned-wide receiver, Braxton Miller. He sees the Buckeyes' offense as a perfect fit.
“I think I fit into the offense," Jones said. "They have really good coaching at all the positions.”
Jones has also built a strong relationship with Ohio State quarterbacks coach Tim Beck and said the staff — head coach Urban Meyer included — made it known he is the Buckeyes' top target at the quarterback spot in the 2018 class. There were plenty of eyes on Jones as he went through a brief workout and threw at Ohio State's practice facility Tuesday morning.
“Me and Coach Beck, we get along real well," Jones said. "I talk to him daily, and we have a great connection.”
There were rumors circling Tuesday that Jones silently committed to Ohio State's staff while he was on his visit. And while that's a possibility, he hasn't gone public yet.
"I haven't committed yet," he said.
A public commitment at this time wouldn't make much sense. As Jones was leaving Ohio State's campus Tuesday, he made it known he was headed to Clemson next and would visit Tennessee over the weekend. The Buckeyes are "probably" the leader, according to Jones, but the Tigers and Volunteers are right behind.
Jones did say he's looking at a potential public decision by the end of June, which figures to be good news for Ohio State. He wants to get his commitment out of the way early so he can start learning the offense and getting coached rather than dealing with the recruiting process.
And shortly before he got into a car to get on his way to visit Clemson, Jones offered the following statement about the Buckeyes:
“They’ve been my dream school since I was growing up," he said. "I love the university here and I just love everything they have to offer me.”
