As a sophomore, Jones rushed for 1415 yards on 142 carries and had 26 touchdowns.
Jeffrey Jones, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore running back from Minneapolis Washburn who is one of the top players in the state in the Class of 2014, receiver a scholarship offer from Minnesota this past weekend. The two-sport standout attended the Minnesota Junior Day and their Friday Night Camp Under The Lights. GopherHole.com caught up with Jones Monday afternoon to learn the latest on the recent offer and his recruitment
Jones rushed for 1415 yards on 142 carries and had 26 touchdowns. He shined in the postseason as he rushed 57 times for 529 yards and eight scores in three playoff contests. Jones gained over 100 yards on the ground in eight of ten games as the Millers finished 7-3 as they lost in the Section2AAA finals for the second year, falling to Holy Family Catholic 49-31.
Jones is splitting time between the junior varsity and varsity for the Millers’ basketball team this season after having had a strong spring for the Minnesota Heat 15’s Select AAU program and playing for 43 Hoops in July.
Washburn running back coach Michael Grant thinks that Jones has plenty of strengths as a rusher.
“His power and his explosiveness are the two things that I see that are number one and two,” said Grant. “He will run through you and around you at the same time. He has the ability to mix in both and he uses those as his strengths in the situation that he is in.”
Grant feels that Jones is working hard to improve himself as a player.
“He can work on his blocking technique from time to time,” said Grant. “Catching the ball, he is great and awareness of where guys are and helping out. He’ll do that, but just his effectiveness as far as his technique of blocking of how he gets it done can be improved, but he is only a sophomore.”
Grant thinks that Jones has the speed to play at a high college level.
“He got it,” said Grant. “He’s there. Every year, I’ve seen it so far; freshman year, sophomore year. He is getting faster, bigger, stronger. He runs track during the offseason, so he is going to be the guy right there. He’ll be a 4.4 kid by his senior year.”
Grant feels that Jones compares favorable to former De LaSalle and Iowa State running back Alexander Robinson, who he coached in high school.
“As a sophomore, he (Jones) is more physical,” said Grant. “He has the skills that Alexander had. Alexander has a senior really developed himself in that fashion, so you could really see the difference from his senior year. Jeff is kind of close to that right now, so to be there as a sophomore going into his junior year, compared to his senior year, that is huge.”
GopherHole.com caught up with Jones Monday afternoon to learn the latest on the recent offer and his recruitment
GH: You recently received an offer from the Gophers. When did you hear from them?
Jeffrey Jones: I heard Saturday morning. My coach called me and asked about my basketball game on Friday and said congratulations on my first official offer from Minnesota.
GH: In football, they don’t often offer sophomores. Were you surprised or caught off guard a little bit?
Jeffrey Jones: I was caught off guard. I was excited. I just really want to thank Coach Kill for respecting my hard work and my dedication to the field and giving me an opportunity as a sophomore.
GH: What was the reaction from your family and friends?
Jeffrey Jones: They were so excited for me. They were all so proud of me and how I had worked so hard. I’m just glad to see that it pays off.
GH: Have you talked to the Gopher coaches since the offer?
Jeffrey Jones: I can’t really have much contact with them, just because I am sophomore. They came here Friday and I bumped into them in the hall and said a few words and that was the most that we talked so far besides the camps this summer.
GH: I know that you are busy with basketball, but what things are you working on to improve yourself as a football player?
Jeffrey Jones: I have been trying to stretch and be more flexible to be able to take more hits and be in the weight room to prevent a lot of injuries.
GH: What other schools are you hearing from?
Jeffrey Jones: I have gotten letters from Oregon and Boise State. The last time that I spoke with Iowa State was at their camp this summer. They really liked me. Wisconsin has been asking for film, so I guess that they might be interested.
GH: You had a great sophomore season with over 1,400 yard rushing and 26 touchdowns. How pleased were you with how well you played this season?
Jeffrey Jones: I felt great about the way that I played. My teammates encouraged me all summer to get better and get in the weight room. I had a great line this year, so that was a big part. I had a good quarterback, Tony Ayala, that kept me motivated and kept me going. I am very proud of my team this year and what I accomplished and what they helped me accomplish.
GH: You lose some good seniors like Kyle Hughes, who is going to Eastern Michigan, but you are returning your quarterback and some other talented players. You had made to the section finals the past two years, but I am sure that you would like to go farther next season. What are the expectations for you next year?
Jeffrey Jones: Of course, we would like to go farther. My teammates and I are done with settling for second place. A lot of my friends are having their senior year, so I guess that we are headed to the state tournament. We have a good team and a lot of players coming back, so we should be fine with what we have.
GH: Have you talked to some schools about going to Junior days next season?
Jeffrey Jones: Not really. Like I said earlier, we can’t really talk now because I am a sophomore, so I have not had a lot of contact with any coaches.
GH: What so you think about Minnesota? Is that a place you could see yourself going?
Jeffrey Jones: It is a very good place. Every time I go up there to visit or just see the campus, it always feels like home. This is my hometown. I like their style and the way that Coach Kill runs things over there, so it might be in the picture.
GH: Would you see yourself committing there or would you wait awhile?
Jeffrey Jones: I figure that I will wait awhile. I am only a sophomore, so I have got two more years to wait it out.