Jones has family ties with Pitt
Four-star linebacker Shane Jones of Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller is now sitting on an offer list 17-teams deep. One of his most recent additions is Pittsburgh, a team that the four-star prospect has known intimately since childhood.
"My brother went to Pittsburgh," Jones said. "I don't know if he helped [with the offer], but one of the guys that is still there now was there when he was there. People always asked me would I get that one, but I never knew. It's exciting for us.
Advertisement
"When I was growing up, that's where I was. We were at their games almost every weekend during the season. I went to every spring game, had tours and been in the buildings. I guess it will be different now that I am actually a recruit and looking at it from that aspect."
Jones' brother, Eric Thatcher, was a three-year starter at safety for Pitt and has since gone on to become a defensive quality control assistant for the Buffalo Bills organization. He looks back on his time at Pitt fondly according to his younger brother.
"He loved it and made a lot of connections," Jones said. "He actually coached there for a few years after he got done, and that's how he got started into coaching."
Other new offers for Jones include Boston College, Penn State and Louisville. At this stage of the process, the 6-1, 220-pound linebacker says there is no favorite to sign him.
"At this point I think almost every team does because I haven't been out to many places," Jones said. "The biggest thing for me is going out and seeing all these places."
Jones did take a recent junior day visit to Michigan State, which is the school his teammate Monty Madaris signed with in the 2012 class. Next up are trips to Michigan and probably Illinois.
"I'm going to Michigan this weekend," Jones said. "Going up there we are going to see what they think of me and we'll go from there."