RB Tony Jones Jr.
Measurables: 6-0, 210
School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Rivals ranking: Three stars, No. 21 RB.
247Sports ranking: Three stars, No. 22 RB.
Notable numbers: Jones rushed 78 times for 514 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. He added six catches for 149 yards and one TD.
First scholarship offer: Cincinnati
Best advice I received through the recruiting process: Stay focused and school first.
One word to describe Brian Kelly: Boss.
The one thing I won’t miss about the recruiting process: Phone calls and critics.
Moment I knew I wanted to be Irish: Looking at highlights of all the running backs that went through Notre Dame.
My secret off-the-field talent: Playing games or telling jokes.
Song on my iPod I’m embarrassed to tell people about: A song by David Nile.
Sports idol: Marshawn Lynch or LaDainian Tomlinson.
Preferred social media: Twitter.
Favorite football accomplishment: Making SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
Dream job (other than the NFL): CEO of a shoe company.
Running backs coach Autry Denson on Jones: "I think the world of Tony as a young man. He embodies everything that we try to do here at Notre Dame. You see that on the field. He’s an unbelievable player. It’s very rare that you find high school running backs that are so mature that he takes so much pride in his game that he wants to block. I look at myself, I wanted nothing to do with blocking whatsoever. If the ball was not in my hands in high school, I pretty much was taking the play off. That’s the case with most great players. Tony on the other hand, from a maturity standpoint, he really, really, really takes pride in his total game. That’s what he’ll bring to the table for us."
Denson on pairing Jones with Deon McIntosh in the 2016 class: "We were looking for a thunder and a lightning, and we were blessed to get a thunder and a lightning. Now, with that being said, I don’t want people to think that thunder can’t finish a run, and I don’t want people to think that lightning can’t run through you and come out your back. That’s my job to coach that mentality and both of those guys have that mentality, but you definitely want to make sure you have guys that can do different jobs, bring different skill sets. Ultimately, I develop holistic running backs. I don’t want there to be any holes in their game. So I have to surround them with guys that do things that they don’t do yet, so when they pull from their teammates, it will allow them to develop overall."
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Audio: Notre Dame running backs coach Autry Denson talks about where Jones fits in the running backs room.
