As the guy tasked with covering college football recruiting sans creepy, I wanted to let you all know that Gainesville wide receiver and UGA target Tai-ler Jones is set to announce his college choice during a press conference at his school this afternoon at 2:45.
Anyone who watched the G-Day game on Saturday already knows that we could use some sure handed receivers. The need is no longer quite as dire now that it appears Kris Durham will be back in 2010, but we'll still need a replacement for Mike Moore.
Jones could be just the guy to do the job. He's currently listed by Rivals as their 101st best prospect for the class of 2010. I like Tai-ler Jones because he's already a good route runner, and he makes hard catches. The first of those traits takes a while to teach, and the latter is difficult to teach at all to guys who don't already possess the stomach for it. Jones also comes across as the kind of humble guy you want on your team, the kind who'll gladly step in and play out of position to help his team win, like so:
Jones will decide from among Georgia, North Carolina, Stanford, Cal, Notre Dame, UCLA and Ohio State. His father Andre played at Notre Dame, and Tai-ler has made no secret of where his father would prefer for him to attend college. Those Notre Dame folks can be a clannish lot, so I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Jones chooses the Irish. But he's also shown a certain affinity for Stanford, and recently visited there twice on a swing through California.
Finally, I don't think you can count out Butch Davis and North Carolina. Davis showed this year with Hakeem Nicks that he can get a talented receiver the ball. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Jones picks the Bulldogs, but I wouldn't be surprised if he left the state, either. It would be a bit of a blow to lose the state's top receiver in a year when we need to sign 2-3 of them, especially when that receiver resides less than an hour from the Butts-Mehre complex. But Jones is the kind of kid who may end up going to a school with less than stellar football credentials in order to take advantage of a challenging academic experience in a new and refreshing environment far from home.
Let's just hope I have the opportunity to bring you Too Much Information about young Mr. Jones in the near future. If not, let's just be glad he's a good kid who won't make the mistake of attending school in Gainesville or Knoxville. Back tomorrow with Free Form Friday, until then . . .
Go 'Dawgs!!!