Busy month ahead for Florida DB

Three-star Lake City (Fla.) Columbia defensive back Rashaun Jones has a busy month of January ahead of him.

“I’ve got all five of my official visits coming up this month,” he said. “It took me a while to get them together, but I’ll be going to North Carolina this weekend (1/9), Syracuse on the 16th, South Florida on the 20th, Miami on the 23rd and N.C. State on the 30th.”

Jones (6-2, 185, 4.5) says he’s going into those five visits with an open mind.

“I don’t really have a favorite,” he said. “They’re all even in my mind until I see what they’re like on my visits. I want to see who has the best opportunity for me to play early and what their academic programs for business are like.”

First up on his tour will be Chapel Hill, N.C. Asked what he likes about the Tar Heels, Jones said: “They need some big-time athletes to come in and give them some help right away. They were showing me their defensive statistics, and they only had two interceptions all year, and those were by the same player in the same game. They think I can come in there and help their secondary as a true freshman.”

He said UNC offers the best opportunity for early playing time on his list of schools. South Florida is a close second in that regard, but he is also drawn to the winning tradition and success of schools like Miami and N.C. State.

As a senior, Jones recorded 60 tackles, 14 pass break-ups and seven interceptions on the defensive side of the ball. As a receiver, he pulled down 24 receptions for 390 yards and six touchdowns.