Quarterback recruiting continues to be a thing of beauty for Tim Beck and Urban Meyer as the Buckeyes have landed yet another one of the nation's top signal-callers, this time for the class of 2018. Jones announced his decision on Bleacher Report via his personal Twitter account.
I'm officially committed to..https://t.co/11pqwWt41B pic.twitter.com/l4ZWnNQroJ
— Emory Jones (@eXjones6) July 29, 2016
The Jones File
- Class: 2018
- Size: 6-2/193
- Pos: QB
- School: Heard County (Franklin, GA)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 3 (QB)
Franklin, Georgia's, Emory Jones received a Buckeye offer back in May, and to say that it shook up his recruitment would be a vast understatement. The four-star was reportedly on the verge of committing to Tennessee, but then his dream school came calling. Jones made the trip to Columbus in mid-June and then would check out Clemson and Tennessee (again) shortly thereafter. The nation's third-ranked dual-threat quarterback and No. 34 overall prospect had indicated that a June decision was likely, but he wanted to do his due diligence before making the call.
This week, yet another return visit to Knoxville appeared to have been canceled. However, Jones did show up on Thursday for the Volunteers' final camp of the summer. It was his fifth trip to Tennessee since February. Following the visit, the 6-foot-2, 193-pounder hopped on a flight to Columbus for the Friday Night Lights festivities. It was just his second time on campus, but it was enough to seal the deal for Ohio State.
Top247 2018 QB Emory Jones at #OhioState Friday Night Lights https://t.co/cvESTtwTo3 pic.twitter.com/AUYb4pdG6U
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) July 22, 2016
Florida, Georgia, and Michigan State had also extended offers, but this one really came down to the Buckeyes and Volunteers. Jones attended Tennessee's junior day back in March and had built up quite the relationship with the Volunteers' staff, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Buckeyes' late-spring and summer charge.
Jones received his first offer in May of 2015 when Mississippi State came calling. He would go on to take multiple trips to Starkville before receiving offers from Georgia and Tennessee. He's been one of the most impressive quarterbacks during this spring and summer's camp circuits, continually drawing rave reviews from the analysts and coaches in attendance.
For the Buckeyes, Tim Beck gets a ton of credit again as his hot streak continues on the recruiting trail. While wrapping up his mid-June visit to Columbus, Jones stated that the Buckeyes were "probably his leader" and cited his relationship with Beck as one of the factors. He went on to say that the two of them were talking on a daily basis.
READ: What Emory Jones' commitment means for Ohio State.
Jones is the second commitment for the Buckeyes' 2018 recruiting class as he joins Florida running back Brian Snead. It's obviously still way early, but with Tate Martell and Danny Clark in the fold for 2017, there's a good chance that 2018 will only see one quarterback signee.
Speaking of competition in the quarterback room, Jones has previously indicated that it wasn't something that would really affect him.
“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.”
Last Friday, he reiterated those same sentiments.
“I'm not really worried about the depth chart,” Jones told Eleven Warriors as he glanced back at Haskins with a smile on his face. “I know I'm going to have to compete anywhere I go.”
Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for more on Emory Jones' commitment.
