“Tennessee has always been on my mind,” Jones told 247Sports’ Keith Niebuhr on Sunday night after participating in his first practice for Thursday’s Under Armour All-America Game. “I’ve never really spoke about them, but it’s always been on my mind.”
The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Jones still is keeping an open mind despite his longstanding commitment to the Bulldogs, and the Vols are one of three teams that currently are scheduled to host him on official visits leading up to National Signing Day on Feb. 5.
He plans to travel to Tennessee the first weekend after the ongoing dead period for recruiting, which runs through Jan. 16, before taking official visits to Georgia the weekend of Jan. 25 and Auburn the weekend of Feb. 1.
On Saturday, Jones referred to his recruitment as a “50-50” battle between Georgia and Auburn. And he admitted to Niebuhr that the Vols are behind the Bulldogs and Tigers at the moment. But he said he always has been intrigued by Tennessee, and he’s looking forward to taking his first look at the Vols in less than three weeks.
“Tennessee is just — Knoxville, just the name,” said Jones, who’s ranked the No. 19 overall prospect and No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2020 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. “You think about Tennessee, you think about Knoxville. It’s a very known, popular place — great atmosphere, great city.
“I’m just waiting on the official visit to get down there and see how (it is). I’ve never been down there. I’m actually just waiting on the official visits to get down there and see what each school is talking about, because my recruitment is still open at this point,” he said. “But, like I said, the official visits are the biggest standpoint for me from now on.”
