Tight End Nathan Jones Flips To Minnesota
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After a visit to Minneapolis that resulted in an offer last weekend, Brock (TX) tight end Nathan Jones has officially backed off his pledge to Abilene Christian and committed to PJ Fleck and Minnesota.
"It was a great experience," Jones told TGR about the game. "All the excitement that coach Fleck and the staff brings, I can really get behind something like that. It was a really physical game and I liked watching the tight ends."
Jones had been committed to the Wildcats since August 14th, and was set to be a 4th generation player there as his father was an All-American. Other FBS schools like Vanderbilt and UTSA also offered, but head coach PJ Fleck and tight end coach Clay Patterson were able to quickly build a strong relationship with Jones to win his commitment.
"When I got to Minnesota and met with coach Patterson I just felt this bond that I haven't felt anywhere else," said Jones. "Right away my brain started thinking about it and I just thought how awesome it would be to be a part of that. And it's Big Ten football."
Patterson has been recruiting Jones for over a year, and kept his eye on him until this moment.
"Coach Patterson has been recruiting me all the way back to last summer," Jones said. "I hurt my foot and wasn't able to work out for them when we first planned on it, but he stayed with me and it ended up working out for all of us."
Jones is a pure athlete. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound prospect has earned first team all-state honors in three different sports (football, basketball, track) in the talent-rich state of Texas. He has recorded 283 yards and 4 touchdowns in 6 games so far this season for Brock.
"Being physical and also being able to run and catch the football I feel is what makes the complete tight end, and I think I have all of those qualities," said Jones.
Jones is the 14th commitment in Minnesota's 2022 recruiting class, and joins in-state commit Spencer Alvarez as tight ends committed in the class. He plans on signing during the early period in December.
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