YESSIR: The Aggies land commit No. 19 in the 2017 class
Texas A&M landed commitment No. 19 for the 2017 recruiting class on Friday afternoon as Stafford wide receiver, and member of the Rivals250, Hezekiah Jones announced his commitment to the Aggies.
At this time last year Jones was verbally committed to Baylor, but the turnover and changes in Waco this past spring caused him to reopen his recruitment.
After reconnecting and visiting with several college programs over the past couple of months, Jones released a Top 5 that included Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Auburn, Houston, and Alabama.
"It's exciting, but it's a relief at the same time," Jones said. "It was really tough having to reopen my recruitment, but I quickly found a new home and I'm happy that I did before my senior season.
"It was really close, all of the schools had a great education and great football programs. The SEC Conference and being close to home was what really pushed Texas A&M over the top. Also, the tradition they have at Texas A&M is incredible, just how closely they are involved as a group.
"That really impacted my decision as well. A degree from Texas A&M can open a lot of doors after college. I want to major in Business Management and they have a huge alumni group that can help me succeed after football."
A lot went into Jones' decision, but spending time around the Texas A&M coaching staff this past weekend at the BBQ made him feel at home.
"I visited A&M this past weekend," Jones said. "I hung out with everyone at the BBQ, all of the coaches and even some of the current players, plus the other 2017 commitments and players visiting. It was mostly getting to know the other commitments and having fun with the coaches.
"I mostly talk with Coach (Aaron) Moorehead, but I met with Coach (Noel) Mazzone and Coach (Kevin) Sumlin during the visit. The coaches see me playing the X-receiver position, like Speedy (Noil) and Josh (Reynolds).
"I actually saw Coach Mazzone's offense when he was at UCLA. They were recruiting me and I have always liked his offense. It's similar to what A&M was doing on offense before, but he is making his own tweaks. I know that he has produced great receivers in the past too."
Coach Jeff Banks also sees Jones helping the A&M special teams as a specialist in the return game. The Rivals250 prospect is also a standout for the Stafford track and field team, winning the 4A state championship in the 200m his sophomore year.
"Coach Banks wants me to work on kick offs and punt returns," Jones said. "He told me they could get me on the field quickly as a special teams guy, especially as an early grad coming in this spring.
"Track is an option, but I haven't decided on that yet. I'm probably going to wait it out, then look into it later. I run the 200m and the 4x1 and 4x2 relays now. It would be fun to continue running in college, but I haven't given it much thought."
Jones is scheduled to graduate early this December and enroll at Texas A&M for the spring semester this January.
"I'm on course to graduate in December," Jones said. "I'm taking summer courses right now. It's just an opportunity to develop faster, get up there and make a big impact before my freshman season even starts."
The 5-foot-11, 193-pound prospect also admitted that his friend Kellen Mond committing to the Texas A&M certainly helped the Aggies' chances.
"After we decommitted from Baylor, we always kept in touch and had a solid relationship," Jones said. "Kellen committed to A&M and it definitely boosted my interest in the Aggies. They have Connor (Blumrick) and he is great too, but Kellen is my guy and I know that he's the real deal.
"As a receiver, it's nice to know that you are going to play with a quarterback of his caliber at the next level. Plus, he is graduating early too and we will be there to get started together in January."
Rated a 5.9 four-star prospect, Jones is rated as the No. 16 wide receiver in the nation and the No. 127 overall prospect on the latest Rivals250 national rankings. He finished with 515 yards and six (6) touchdowns receiving - earning District 12-4A All-District First Team Offense honors this past season.
Jones chose the Aggies over offers from Alabama, Notre Dame, Auburn, Oregon, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma, and several other programs.
Before enrolling at Texas A&M this January, Jones was selected and accepted an invitation to participate in the Under Armour All-American Bowl in Florida.
