Jones all in with USC

LONG BEACH, Calif. - - Jack Jones is never at a loss for words but at Long Beach Poly’s signing day ceremony, he decided to let a video do all the talking.

A packed high school gym watched as a video featuring Jones and rapper Snoop Dogg played on a projector screen, before Jones appeared, put on a USC hat, and announced his allegiance to the Trojans.

The decision to choose USC was expected by many, but the five-star cornerback still managed to put on an exciting show. His decision to include Snoop Dogg in the big day is in part do to his strong Southern California ties, which may have also played a role in becoming a Trojan.

“It all came about because Snoop Dogg, as a young man, growing up, I played in the Snoop Youth Football League and he was a big part,” Jones said. “I feel like without the Snoop Youth Football League, I would have took the wrong route. And so, he played a big part in this and that was just me giving my thanks to him and giving back to him.”

Those ties are a reason why many expected Jones to eventually choose USC. Jones has plenty of family and friends in the area, and even friends who are football players at USC. But despite how everyone felt about his eventual choice, Jones says that making a commitment was actually a very difficult decision. He says he didn’t choose USC until the last minute and he also says USC’s coaches didn’t find out he was committing until the day he announced.

“I didn’t know until maybe about a couple days ago,” Jones said. “In this process, I switched maybe about seven schools, it was crazy. I was just feeling different schools, it’s kind of hard to pick a school when they’re all telling you the same thing. So it’s like, when it comes down to that, I mean, you just have to pick where feels like home and I feel like this felt like home the most.”

The 5-foot-10, 163-pound corner has been wrestling with this decision since he became a heavily recruited prospect some time ago. In January of this year, however, everything intensified.

“The beginning of January, I’m thinking Texas A&M, I’m there for sure, without a doubt,” Jones said. “Me and AP start going through the process, start breaking it down, start talking to everybody, start talking to my family. Mid-January, I’m stressed out, I don’t know where I’m going. Late January, I’m thinking Alabama is the best choice, they’re losing their starting corner, I possibly could win a natty, Coach (Nick) Saban is one of the greatest coaches that ever coached the game of college football. Late January, late January, I’m thinking, I’m thinking, I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m thinking, I’m thinking ‘SC is not the move. I’m thinking ‘SC’s not the move. February first, I’m still stressed out, I’m still going through the process, I’m still thinking about everything. Then I called Coach (Clay) Helton, I called Coach Tee Martin and all them guys, they called me and we talked and I listened to them, I heard what they had to say. I called Coach (Jeff) Banks (of Texas A&M), Coach Banks and them guys came out, Coach (Kevin) Sumlin and everybody. I talked to them guys and heard what them guys had to say, same thing with Alabama, I heard what Coach Saban and I heard what them guys had to say. And ‘SC was just so complete to me, I just felt like it was so complete, like that was the missing piece of the puzzle and now the puzzle is put together.”

USC was able to close with Jones late, despite the fact that the university introduced a new defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach just recently. Jones had bigger priorities in his decision than who was coaching what team, but he’s excited about the potential for USC’s defense under the new staff.

“They’re pretty cool guys,” Jones said. “I talked to them a couple times, they seem like cool guys, I like what the defensive coordinator (Clancy Pendergast) did when he was at USC, I like that, so we got some things coming. Our db corp is something sick, I don’t think you’re going to be passing on us.”

Jones hopes to make a big impact in USC’s new defense right away.

“I’m trying to have the biggest impact I can have, I’m trying to come in and start and I’m trying to come in and dominate,” Jones said. “I’m trying to come in and kill Alabama first game, straight up.”

USC will be an underdog against the defending national champions, but Jones believes his team will have a chance in that game and every other one. When asked about USC’s 2016 class, Jones pointed out it’s quality being added to quality.

“We got some guys, some top guys and we’re not really losing nobody on the line,” Jones said. “I think we lost Cody (Kessler), of course, receiving wise, we still have our receiving corp. I mean, we’re only adding to greatness, so it can only be greater.”

Not only does Jones have a chance to be a part of greatness at USC, he now also has a chance to rekindle the greatness of his past few high school seasons. His commitment to USC means that he’ll be on a roster with both Iman Marshall and JuJu Smith-Schuster again.

“Yeah most definitely, Biggie and JuJu, we have one more year,” Jones said, alluding to the fact that Smith-Schuster is definitely a candidate to leave school a year early for the NFL.

Smith-Schuster didn’t make it to this year’s celebration at his former school, but Marshall was in attendance to watch a five-star Jackrabbit commit to USC for the third consecutive year. Jones was thrilled to see Marshall there and points out the support the USC cornerback has given him throughout the process.

“It meant a lot, he didn’t play a big part in my commitment but he did mean a little bit to me in the commitment,” Jones said. “And him coming here, that’s just what brothers do, we support each other and now we’re going to support each other through this ‘SC family thing.”

Marshall and many others helped guide Jones on this difficult journey, a journey that eventually led him to USC.

“He taught me a lot, without him, AP (Antonio Pierce), Coach (Monica) Kim and a lot of other people, those are just the names I have in my head, I would probably be out here in this recruiting thing, out here blind, is how I would say it,” Jones said. “Biggie made me open my eyes, Coach Kim and Coach AP, they made me open my eyes and let me see everything and spread everything out, we broke everything down, every college and like I said before, I feel like this was the best fit.”