Jacksonville OL has offer, attention
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- Forrest High offensive guard prospect Byran Jones could be one of the top sleeper line prospects in the Jacksonville area for the Class of 2008. He current has one Division I-A offer and is getting looks from several others.
"Florida International has offered," he said. "I got it about two months ago and it was exciting. One of their assistant coaches came out to watch practice last week and liked the way I practiced. They liked that I was where I was supposed to be and the way I blocked."
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The Florida Gators, which signed linebacker Brandon Hicks out of Forrest in last year's class, also have sent coaches out to see Jones,.
"Florida liked the leadership I showed out there during practice and how hard I worked at practice," he said. "They liked that I was able to tell other people where to go and things like that. They are going to have me in camp."
The Gators, along with Miami, will see the 6-foot-3, 330-pounder in camp this summer. Should Florida offer, the connection with Hicks would be a major factor with Jones.
"They would probably end up at the top of my list," Jones said. "Brandon is one of my best friends and was one of my teammates and I would like to play with him again."
Several things will be important to Jones when he goes to pick a school.
"The most important thing is academics and another important thing is if a coach is going to give me the chance to start my freshman year," he said. " I want to major in Criminal Justice and minor in Computer Programming. I want to have a great GPA and get my degree."
Jones currently has a 2.89 G.P.A. and scored 840 on the SAT. He projects as a full academic qualifier.
He talked about why he feels he can play offensive line at a high level.
"I am a very agile offensive lineman," he said. "I have good, quick feet. I am also explosive off the ball and very strong. I will block anyone."
He has several goals set for his senior year at Forrest.
"My goal is to make sure we don't allow any sacks, have a great season, get into the playoffs and win the conference and the district," he said.