Meet Florida WR Khalil Jones

Just a few months ago, people on the national recruiting scene were beginning to jump on the Trevor Ford Express. The flashy cornerback from Miami Northwestern has worked his way to become one of the nation’s best covermen. But there is another budding Northwestern star on the horizon and his name is Khalil Jones.

While Jones said he only has a written offer from South Florida, the attention that he’s starting to get from the college coaches after an impressive spring and summer months has his star on the rise in recruiting circles.

At 6-foot-3, 215-pounds, Jones is a physical receiver that can make the catch over the middle and absorb a hit. But it’s his size and speed combination that makes him even more deadly.

“I ran a 4.39 at the Rutgers camp down here in Miami,” Jones said about his 40-yard dash time. “That was my fastest, but I’m a very consistent 4.4 guy. I also have a 315-pound bench press, a 450-pound squat, and I can power-clean 265 pounds. That’s more than the linemen on our team. People tell me that I have the upper and lower body of a NFL receiver.”

He’s still working on his hands after a junior season that saw him catch around 20 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’ve only been a receiver since my ninth grade year,” Jones, who also has a 33-inch vertical leap, said. “I was a defensive end all my life. I went out there for my first practice in ninth grade and the JV coach told me to go over to the offensive side. I asked what was going on, but once I got the hang of it I never wanted to go back.”

And working hard this summer with Ford, ranked as one of the nation’s top corners, has helped him continue to refine and improve his game.

“The only DB that can hang with me is Trevor,” Jones said. “He tried to jam me, but I can get up on him and use my speed to get under him and up field. But he’s the real deal. He’s the best defensive back that I’ve ever seen.”

And that’s what Jones wants to be on the offensive side of the ball.

“I want to be the best receiver in Florida and in the nation when I’m done,” he said. “I’ve worked hard and have my grades under control. I have a 900 on the SAT and I’ll take care of my classes. I think once I combine everything I have a chance to do some special things this year.”

And in the future. But where at in the future is a big question that Jones thinks about quite a bit.

He said he’s had long talks with coaches from Miami, Florida, Florida State and USF about his offer status.

“I talked to coach (Curtis) Johnson early on the season and he said that if I play hard this year and do my thing the right way then an offer would be on the table,” Jones said. “I talked to coach (Kevin) Steele at FSU when they came through and he said he’s going to recruit me hard. He came down and watched us scrimmage and was impressed.

“I went to the South Florida camp and talked to their coaches. They told me outright that I have an offer on the table.”

In the end, it might be tough for Jones to pass up an offer from Miami, if it ever comes.

“I’m a Miami guy,” he said. “I also like UF and FSU, but if anybody asks me it’s Miami. I’m still kind of on the edge, though, because I don’t know if I’ve found the perfect school. I want to visit some other schools and see what the academics are like. I want to get those types of questions answered from UM and UF. But I’ve not been up to Florida yet.”