Re: First 2016 Commit
Don't sell this one short because of the very early timing of his commitment, this is a big pick-up who could play a key role in our scheme. By all accounts, Jones is one of the top MS prospects for 2016, and the fact that both Ole Miss and MSU have been pursuing him heavily should make that clear. We actually offered him a couple of months back and have been hot on his trails since.
Role could be interesting here with Jones, and I think you can put him in the "fast twitch" category of front seven defenders we have been loading up on lately. He plays a lot over the center right now, and his game is all about quickness. He's a good solid 260 pounds or so, but we will want / need him to add some weight in Tuscaloosa. Rest assured -- barring some unforeseen physical development -- he's not going to be one of the hold-and-maintain guys at the point of attack, he's going to use his quickness to get upfield and try to make plays in the backfield. As of now, I figure we try to get him up near the 290 pound range. Could be a liability against quality power running games, but then again you see those twice a year these days.
Now, pertinent question: Can we keep him? Eighteen months to NSD for him, so things could obviously change, but he seems pretty firm now. Good news here is that, despite him being out of state, location actually plays in our favor here. Waynesboro is actually a tad bit closer to Tuscaloosa than Starkville, and far closer than either Oxford or Baton Rouge.