ARLINGTON, Tex. – Saying a prospect’s recruitment is over before it begins is always a risky proposition, but the pitch to 2021 linebacker Jai Jones from teams not named Arkansas is going to have to be pretty good.
Jones’ father, J.J. Jones, played middle linebacker for the Razorbacks during the 2000 season, and now his twin sons, Jai and Jalen Jones have offers to play for his alma mater. That hasn’t stopped other top programs from making a play for Jai early on, as the youngster already has a handful of FBS offers.
“Arkansas has been a big part of my life since my dad went there,” he said. “They’re definitely at the top of my list, but Texas A&M – I’m also looking there – and Baylor too, I’m looking at all the schools but Arkansas is up there.”
The Jones brothers were last in Arkansas for the Razorbacks’ elite prospect camp in mid-June, but that was far from the first time the two had visited. With both players coming up in the Dallas area and heading for a career at South Oak Cliff – a program known for churning out Division I-caliber talent – Jai said that new head coach Chad Morris and his staff had plenty of reason to be familiar with him from the jump.
“I’ve already been up there plenty of times,” he said. “When I went up there this summer, I got to meet the new head coach and a lot of the staff and they were very nice. They really treated me like family and I got to talk with a lot of the linebackers that have been playing up there, and they taught me a lot about things up there, too.”
Jai is also an accomplished baseball player and has been working through a pretty busy schedule on the diamond this summer. He said that’s cut into what he’s been able to do on the football front a bit this offseason, but once the fall begins, he’ll be looking to get into things a bit more with some of the other top programs that have offered him.
“I have a lot going on in my schedule, but I am definitely going to try and make it to some games,” he said. “I’m going to make sure to visit those schools.”
A quick survey of Jones points to him looking like a traditional inside backer, but he’ll start out at South Oak Cliff at defensive end this season. Plenty of eyes will be on him looking for an eventual return to the position that’s already in his genes. With that, he could be following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one.
“When we walked in there [Arkansas], they knew exactly who me and my brother were,” he said. “I like the campus itself and I like the state. It’s just nice.”
