Four-star 2023 safety RJ Jones high on ASU after Tempe experience
Even though official visits had been open for just over 24 hours, RJ Jones wasted no time as he ventured to Tempe on Wednesday for his second campus visit in as many days. On Tuesday, Jones visited nearby USC before hopping on a flight and checking out its Pac-12 South foe.
“It was a great visit. I’ve been to the (ASU) campus before because my sister goes there, so it was kind of seeing the same stuff again, trying on uniforms, seeing the defense they run, and hanging out with coach Hawkins all day was super fun,” Jones said. “Instead of being on Zooms with (the coaches), I can meet them in person and hang out with them.”
Jones is a four-star safety in the Class of 2023 who just wrapped up his sophomore season Mission Hills (Calif.) Bishop Alemany High. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound defensive back has already nabbed 15 offers but noted that USC, Washington, Colorado, and ASU were the four schools recruiting him the hardest.
The fact that he’s already been on an unofficial visit to ASU can certainly be interpreted as an encouraging sign for the Sun Devils. And when asked if he planned on taking another trip to Tempe in the fall, Jones was bullish on that idea.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I will,” Jones said when asked if he’ll take another ASU visit. “I’m positive actually … What separates ASU is the coaching staff. Those three dudes (Herm Edwards, Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis) who I think can coach in the NFL right now, and they chose to stay here in college, it’s pretty fun to hang out with them.”
During his visit, Jones was able to meet and listen to Edwards, Pierce, and Lewis, seeing the Sun Devils’ ‘Pro Model’ firsthand. But, with that NFL philosophy, Edwards shared an honest message that goes against the grain of how most view the ‘Pro Model.’
“Arizona State would be an amazing place to go to succeed in the NFL,” Jones said. “Herm was saying, ‘The NFL isn’t guaranteed for anybody,’ but he wants to make sure we graduate and leave the program as better men.
“(Success) is going to come if you have the natural ability and all that stuff, but the education and stuff is what’s most important to my parents and me.”
While Edwards’ presence was the sort of the celebrity that stuck with Jones, it’s been his relationship with defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins that has made ASU such an intriguing option.
Alongside Jones during the visit, too, was his Bishop Alemany teammate Jshawn Frausto-Ramos – a 2023 cornerback with nine offers already. The 25-year old Hawkins has been Jones and Frausto-Ramos main recruiter and led both through Wednesday’s official visit.
“He’s a young coach, so he relates to us a lot because he just was in the college situation,” Jones said of Hawkins. “He said he sees me more as a free safety, but he said he also sees me playing some of the strong safety positions – just being in the back end. It would be fun playing for him.
“My football IQ and my instincts, those are the two biggest things that people hype on when I play football.”
Jones said the rest of his June visit schedule is still up in the air, although he was trying to lock in a trip to Cal towards the end of the month. If that doesn’t transpire, he said, he’ll begin offseason workouts with Bishop Alemany and try to stack some more visits later in the summer.
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