THE SKINNY

Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds
Hometown/High School: Lake City, Florida (Columbia H.S.)
Ranking: ★★★ (0.8750 247Sports Composite)
Notable Offers: Indiana, Miami, Michigan State, Oregon, Texas A&M

HIGHLIGHTS

THE TALE

Shortly after the early signing period ended, Penn State’s search for a second wide receiver in its 2019 recruiting class began to rev up. It did not take long for James Franklin and his staff to target Lake City, Florida, native TJ Jones as the guy they wanted.

Jones is a player that has been on Penn State’s radar for quite some time. The Nittany Lions extended a scholarship offer to Jones in May 2018, and despite never visiting State College, Jones had Penn State in his top five by the fall.

After the Nittany Lion staff recruited Jones hard throughout the month of January, he took an official visit to Penn State. Following this official visit, he joined fellow receiver John Dunmore and running back Noah Cain as the third prospect from the Sunshine State to join Penn State’s 2019 class.

OUTLOOK

Jones has good size for a receiver at 6-foot-1, and looks to have the frame and arm length to play bigger than listed. He has strong, reliable hands and high points the ball well. Instead of letting the ball come to him, Jones attacks it when it is thrown his way.

Once the ball is in his hands, Jones is tough to tackle. He is not afraid to get physical with defensive backs and is difficult to bring to the ground. His physicality is a trait that should help him improve as a downfield blocker at the collegiate level.

Whiles Jones will never be mistaken with a track star, he is still a good athlete. Expect Jones to take a redshirt in the fall before he looks to make an impact for the Nittany Lions starting in 2020.