Elite DL spends time with Nick Saban
Jayson Jones, 2020 defensive tackle from Calera High School in Alabama, returned to Tuscaloosa on Saturday for the Crimson Tide's Junior Day. He was one of a select few sophomores invited to attend the event.
“I had a great time especially talking to Coach Saban and the whole coaching staff," Jones said. "They are really intelligent. I am glad I had the opportunity to go there.
“I went to the basketball game. We got to try on jerseys and take pics with the national championship trophy. I went down with my dad. We have a close bond with each other.
What stood out particularly about this visit?
"A lot of stuff stood out to me, he said. "Getting to talk to Coach Saban and then also attending my first Alabama basketball game. I would say just being able to talk to Coach Saban was what stood out to me the most though."
Alabama considers Jones one of its top targets. Coach Saban stressed the importance of not listening to negative recruiting tactics.
“What Coach Saban had to say is to try and ignore the negative energy that will be coming with the offer from Alabama," he said. "People will say I will not be playing before you are senior if I go to Alabama. If I work hard I will play as soon as possible.
"Raekwon (Davis) played some during his freshman year. His sophomore year he started. It says a lot. You have people like Tua (Tagovailoa) who came in the last minute and put up points like crazy and win a championship. Those (freshmen) wide receivers helped too."
Jones currently has scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Eastern Kentucky. Two schools stand out above the rest.
"It's Alabama and Georgia," Jones said. "It's 50-50. Alabama is just an intense setting. There is just something about it. Overall, the campus is great. I have a good connection with the players. I can relate to a lot them. A lot them went through what I am going through right now.
"Georgia is just a different feeling than the state of Alabama. It's very friendly in Georgia. They are building something special over there. It's something that I would want to be a part of.
"I grew up an Alabama fan. We are a Bama household. It won't be hard to go somewhere else though. My parents don’t care where I go. They want me to have a great education. They wouldn't care even if I went to Auburn."
