Marcus Jones

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If I recall, Jones was a Northern Illinois recruit that followed Kill to Minnesota. I remember Kill gushing over Jones with comments like "I'd take 100 like him."
Jones showed some skill. He was shifty in the slot, and decent on limited return opportunities. Then, he went through some major injuries.
Now that he's back, I know he's been switched to the defensive backfield. I wouldn't expect that area to be stellar, but it's also a place where there seems to be a lot of competition.
Has Jones recovered fully from his injuries? Has he lost a step? Do you suspect he'll get playing time other than special teams?
 

Kill talked about him like Brewster talked about Howell. So I just assumed we'd never hear much from him again. So far, I've been right. Not expecting that to change (but I'd be happy if it does).
 

I wonder if the coaches will have him redshirt so he can focus on completing his rehab and learning the position. With the lack of depth in our defensive backfield, it would be nice if he could turn himself into a serviceable cornerback.
 

Sparlimb said:
Kill talked about him like Brewster talked about Howell. So I just assumed we'd never hear much from him again. So far, I've been right. Not expecting that to change (but I'd be happy if it does).
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So the KORs for TD didn't count as a contribution? The catches, the rushes? Two knee injuries doesn't make him a failure, and his contributions so far add up to the entire careers of about half of Brewster's recruits. Combined.
 

I agree. Jones has contributed the last couple injury shortened seasons. The Harold Howell comparison is unfair. He did nothing and was kicked off the team after his first year. Is Kill not supposed to talk about recruits now because Brewster exaggerated how good some of his were? Also I think Kill was talking about his work ethic and speed. Both of which are undeniable. Jones played corner in high school and they planned on moving back once he got a little older.
 


Your bread and butter is your speed and ability to cut and you tear up your knee, I'd say about 50% of the time, your career's over. I'll give Jones the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he's done. Maybe he turns out like the last kick returner/WR who moved to defense and ended up being a pretty good corner (Stoudemire).
 

If you want to talk about somebody who disappointed after Kill talked him up the way Brew talked up Howell (although not a speed guy like Jones and Howell), what about RB James Gillum. Kill and Co. talked about chasing him for 3 or more years, so I looked for him to be a solid if not big-time contributor
 

This is not rocket science. It's a numbers thing. With over a hundred players on the team, the vast majority will never make a "significant" contribution. Injuries, unexpected contributions from walk-ons, etc. may limit some players from having much of an impact on game days. Does that mean the coaches made an error in judgement with players who didn't log significant playing time? Did these players somehow fail? In the majority of the cases, no. They just had bad fortune (e.g., injuries) or got beat out for playing time by better players. I'm always amused by those who rip on the kids who don't play much. If I were to guess, almost all these critics have had little or no success in their own lives. Case in point, fat patti.

Go Gophers!
 

Obviously this is going to be a big year for Gillum. :) He should have an OL that averages about 315 to run behind.

Jones wasn't a "big time" recruits out of NC. NIU seemed about right. I hope Kill has it pegged with the change to CB. He has grown a couple of inches and put on 25 pounds or so. He could be a serious PR man.
 



Harold Howell probably should have been dipped in "stickum" to remedy the ball security issues, but it's not like the guy was chopped liver. He did average a shade over 23 yards per return on 30 kick-off returns, which, while not eye-popping, indicates he did have some ability.
 

diehard said:
Ob
Jones wasn't a "big time" recruits out of NC. NIU seemed about right. I hope Kill has it pegged with the change to CB. He has grown a couple of inches and put on 25 pounds or so. He could be a serious PR man.
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Agree. Shifty kid who worked his tail off to contribute before the injuries. He seems smart and instinctual to me, and I have to think he'll do a nice job on D. He really became repetitive on O as both Maye and Harbison fill basically the same role in the slot and on little reverse-type plays. I like Jones a lot and hope he's fully recovered. He's a good athlete and we need as many on the field as we can get.
 

My impression of Kill's comments regarding Jones were that they didn't primarily focus on his football ability, but rather his attitude, work ethic, and smarts. He made another comment about him last year during fall camp and said something to the extent of "he's the kind of guy that you want with you in the foxhole." I think a lot of the rave reviews about Jones are that he's a great teammate.

As for his on-field performance, he was good enough to play significant minutes as a true freshman and showed some promise before his knee injury. Hopefully he can adjust to playing CB this year and provide some depth, in addition to returning kicks and possibly punts.
 

MNGoldenGophers1 said:
This is not rocket science. It's a numbers thing. With over a hundred players on the team, the vast majority will never make a "significant" contribution.
Click to expand...
On a team like ours there is plenty of opportunity to make a significant contribution. He had to switch positions from wide receiver, which is arguably one of the weakest positions on the team.
 



Time to bump this thread. Read it and weep, naysayers.
 

To be fair, the odds were against Jones making a contribution after two major knee surgeries for a player reliant on quickness and speed. Hats off to Marcus for working his tail off to be able to help his team win games.
 

Don't count any athlete out until he's done. According to many, Aaron Hill was going to get his scholarship "pulled" every season--now he's a captain. Brandon Green was never great, but he hung in there. Adam Weber was reviled by at least half of Gopherdom, but he never, ever quit on his team. Josh Campion could have given up years ago. I will never publicly rip on a player. If he's on the field, he's supposed to be there.

Marcus is a true comback story.
 



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