Trente Jones (image via 247 Sports)
Loganville (GA) Grayson offensive tackle Trente Jones committed to Michigan on Wednesday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, among others.
Jones is listed at 6’6″, 282 lbs. He claims a 5.06 forty, a 275 lb. bench, a 380 lb. squat, a 580 lb. deadlift, and a 32′ Powerball toss.
RATINGS
ESPN: 4-star, 81 grade, #19 OT, #203 overall
Rivals: 3-star, #38 OT
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #46 OT, #373 overall
Hit the jump for more on Jones’s commitment.
Jones attends a powerhouse program in Georgia, a school that produces oodles of FBS talent every single year. Current Michigan running back Kurt Taylor spent his senior season at Grayson, and several other offers from Michigan have been sent out to Grayson lately. Jones himself was offered in mid-January, took a visit to Ann Arbor this past weekend, and decided to commit shortly afterward.
There’s a lot to like about Jones. The first thing that stands out is he finishes blocks. First level, second level, or even third level, he will attack defenders, drive them into the ground, and play to the whistle. And along those same lines, he’s agile enough in open space to latch on to defenders that might be smaller and quicker than him. He does a good job of escaping to the second level. He uses his hands well to control defenders, and he does an especially good job of anchoring down to cancel inside rushes.
Jones has some inconsistencies in his stance that can telegraph run or pass, so he could afford to improve in that area. There are also a couple times where he could take and maintain better angles to prevent second-level players from crossing his face, but this is a minor quibble.
Overall, Jones is a very nice piece to add to Michigan’s 2019 class. He is relatively polished, comes from a good program that faces top talents, and seems to have the attitude to be a physically dominant player. He does not have top-notch athleticism, but I think he could play either tackle or guard spot. He reminds me of Patrick Omameh, though Omameh wasn’t on this advanced of a track at the same stage in his career.
Jones gives Michigan five commitments in the class, including two offensive lineman (Ohio OG Nolan Rumler is the other). He is also the second player from Georgia, joining defensive end Chris Hinton – who some, including me, think would fit better on offense. The 2019 class is currently slated to have 11 players, but that number will go up by the time players begin to sign.
Other 2019 Grayson players with Michigan offers include: LB Kevin Harris, WR Kenyon Jackson, OT Wanya Morris, LB Owen Pappoe, S Kenyatta Watson II.
TTB Rating: I will not be assigning TTB Ratings for 2019 until I finalize the 2018 ratings.
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Finally, some good news in recruiting, at least in terms of upside potential. Ya gotta like the size and tape. Always like to see high school athletes go against good competition. Obviously, it’s early and will probably come down to the wire in December but football fans needed some positivity heading into the spring. I’d guess he’s probably in the TTB 87 range.
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If you can, please take a couple minutes and explain the stance thing with a reference play.
Thank you.
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Sure. The majority of the plays on his highlights are runs, but look at the plays beginning at 1:11 and 2:16. It’s more pronounced in the second one, but do you see how his butt is lower and his head is above his hindquarters? You can also see a difference in the positioning of his feet to see whether he’s blocking down or blocking out.
We call that being “heavy” (a.k.a. he’s in a run-blocking stance with a lot of weight on his front hand) or being “light” (a.k.a. he’s in a pass-blocking stance with very little weight on his front hand). Obviously, this can become a tell and can help defenders/coaches determine the type of play ahead of time.
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Excellent.
Thank you.
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Awesome. Love the question since i didn’t know that either.
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That’s why they pay me the big bucks!
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