Rivals250 safety Cam Jones chooses Huskers in close decision

Rivals250 safety Cam Jones’ commitment came down to an agonizing final decision between Ole Miss and Nebraska.

So close was the call, that on the eve of his announcement - and after one final in-home visit from the Huskers staff - he still wasn’t entirely sure who he was going to pick.

“It was between Ole Miss and Nebraska right up until this morning,” he said. “I woke up, still hadn’t decided yet, but that’s the way it’s been - one day Ole Miss, the next day Nebraska, here now it’s been two days in a row it was Nebraska. It came right down to the last day, but I can’t wait another week because those spots are not promised.

“I wish I could go to both schools, but I can only go to one and Nebraska is the one.”

It wasn’t for a lack of effort by the Rebels staff, either. Ole Miss coaches put on a full-court press, spending as much time with Jones as they could, and making the rounds with his family. They paid his mother a visit at work, and made a house call to see his Big Momma, making the decision all the more arduous.

“They’re an amazing coaching staff,” he said. “If I could combine Ole Miss and Nebraska, that would be a dream, but you can’t. I got all the respect in the world for Ole Miss and hopefully we play them in the national championship when we get on top - that’s how much I love Coach (Matt) Luke and his staff.”

Ole Miss wasn’t the only staff to think of such tactics, however, and the Huskers had an ace up their sleeve in the form of Ryan Held, who served as the point man in Nebraska’s recruitment of Jones. In fact, it seems as though no single person was more influential in Jones’ recruitment down the stretch.

“I’ve got to say more than anybody it’s been Coach Held,” he said. “He was the one that constantly, constantly, constantly hit me up - and he’s the running backs coach. If he needed me to come play running back, I would. He stayed in contact with me, my pops, my momma and my big momma so I would say he was a huge factor with it.

“Without Coach Held, my mind probably would have slipped to Ole Miss if it wasn’t for him.”

Despite how crucial Friday night’s visit from the Huskers staff likely was, Jones said that the mood was loose and they were able to relax and enjoy each others’ company. Although his ultimate decision might not have been made, Jones was confident in what he knew of the program and its new staff.

Jones made a return to Lincoln following his mid-December official visit, but more than the scene on campus, the thing that impacted him most was the new staff. In addition to the likelihood that Scott Frost and company will be coaching there for years to come, the method in which they included him in their plans was a huge difference maker.

“Just their approach right away was big,” he said. “When I first de-committed from UCLA, I was getting offers from everybody - and big-time schools - but everyone wanted me to rush and sign on the Early Signing Period, which was stupid, because I wasn’t going to do that. Only a few schools allowed me to take my time with the process and they were one of them and that caught my attention right off the bat.

“When I started reading about Scott Frost - this was his year, because he won a lot of awards. But the coaching staff just took me away and the patience they had with recruiting me was huge.”

Even as Nebraska has done well to add promising commitments in the month of January, Jones is a major win for the Huskers. He was a star in his senior season at 6A Mansfield in Texas, making plays on defense and on special teams. He’s certainly athletic enough to expect to see the field in some capacity early on, but isn’t waiting till he gets on campus to start earning a role.

“I feel like it’s up for the taking,” he said. “I think it’s all up to me and how fast I can learn. I think I am talented enough right now to go compete with whoever’s out there. It was mentioned that they are a little short on the spot I’ll be coming in at safety. But I don’t think talent is a problem - I think me going up there and being a little inexperienced might be something, but I play football with the best of them and I feel confident in what they told me.

“They didn’t promise me a starting spot, they said there would be an opportunity, so I think I will be playing some next year.”