Oregon Signee Jayson Jones Opens up on Highs and Lows of Recruiting Process

Oregon's final piece to the class of 2020, Jayson Jones, opens up on his recruiting experience as a long time Alabama commitment before flipping to the Ducks on signing day.

Jayson Jones has been a known college football recruit since he was an underclassman recruit at Celera (Ala.) High School. The class of 2020 two-way lineman, who signed with Oregon on Wednesday, begun picking scholarship offers two to three years before he would sign with the Pac-12 champions. 

Another addition to the family and it’s a BIG game-changer up front for the defense.

Welcome to the family, @TheJaysonJones. #20regon | #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/BKdz0oqWpG

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) February 5, 2020

The road between emerging recruit and signed recruit, for the 6-foot-6, 340-pound and many others, isn't always a straight path. Jones committed to Alabama July 2, 2018 over offers from Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and many others. 

Over the 18 months to follow he would learn that his dream school's view of him in their class would fluctuate.

"At first it felt great because you know the schools you’ve always wanted to hear from when you are growing up are hitting you up," he said. "It was always a dream come true.

"But two to three years could make a huge difference...coaches look at numbers and that’s what we really are to coaches."

The angle Alabama used to keep Jones in the class is one becoming more popular in the recruiting game -- a blueshirt. These prospects cannot be officially recruited and won't count for the current year as long as they don't appear in a game.

This option being presented is when Jones began realizing his future could end up somewhere other than Tuscaloosa. It affected more than his college destination, though.

"It was when Alabama introduced the blue shirt scenario," he said. "First they introduced the offensive line part, and I didn’t have a problem with that in the end. It was the blue shirt they offered me. With that you don’t get the in-home visit, you don’t get the official visit, you don’t come in with your regular class, it’s like your counted for the next class. Some articles even said you get no form of athletic aid.

"I didn’t really know what to do. I went into this really depressive state. I was lost, I didn’t know what I should do or where I could go next. I’ll give credit to Georgia Tech, I think they helped me a lot in getting past that."

The Yellow Jackets were a major factor for Jones throughout the tail-end of the recruiting process. In the end he would consider Tech and Baylor, taking official visits to each, in addition to UO and UA.

Along the way he mingled with plenty of recruits going through the process at various stages.

"Other recruits always told me to do what’s best for you and your family," he said. "It was good that I had other options open."

The latter is how Jones would like to pay it forward for the class of 2021 and beyond.

"If you want to commit early, that’s on you," he advises. "But I wouldn’t completely shut down schools and just turn them away. One moment they can tell you, ‘we want you to be the guy on the offense or defense,’ and next thing you know they’re trying to change your position or they don’t want you anymore."

Oregon signed the top recruiting class in the Pac-12, the only program from the conference in SI All-American's top 10 class rankings. 

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