WR TJ Jones commits to Penn State
Penn State added its second wide receiver to the Class of 2019, as Lake City, Fla., wide receiver TJ Jones announced his commitment Wednesday.
A 6-foot-1, 175 pound three-star prospect, Jones earned an offer from Penn State back in May. However, when John Dunmore committed in June, then Emery Simmons the following month, it looked as if the Lions were set at the position. That would change in December when Simmons began speaking with Mack Brown and his staff at North Carolina.
Even before Simmons switched his commitment to the Tar Heels, running back coach Ja'Juan Seider and former wide receiver coach David Corley had already reached out to Jones. His Jan. 25-27 official visit was actually set in December during an in-home visit with Corley.
Once Gerad Parker joined the staff Jan. 10, Jones was one of the first prospects he reached out to. Following a few discussions over the phone, both he and Seider teamed up for two in-home visits, which took place Jan. 15 and Jan. 22. James Franklin then joined those two for one final in-home visit Jan. 28.
Over the past year, Jones earned almost 40 scholarship offers. Central Florida, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Ole Miss and South Florida all earned unofficial visits back in the spring, while Texas A&M earned an official visit in April. After the season, Indiana, Miami and Mississippi State were the three schools showing the most interest in Jones. He originally planned to take an official visit to Miami Jan. 18-20, but ultimately decided to check out Indiana that weekend instead.
This past season, Jones totaled 44 receptions for 904 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had a similar performance in 2017, totaling 738 yards and six touchdowns. Columbia complied a 9-1 regular season record in 2018, which earned the Tigers a No. 1 seed in the FHSAA Class 7A tournament. However, after winning in the first round, they were upset be No. 5 seed Lee in the second round. Jones was named to The Florida Times-Union Super 24 in 2018.
Join us inside The Lions Den for more on Jones and the rest of PSU's Class of 2019!