BREAKING: Elite in-state ATH Demello Jones commits to Georgia football

Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This rep has the latest with 4-star in-state ATH Demello Jones. He ranks as the nation’s No. 18 ATH and the No. 194 overall prospect for 2024 on the 247Sports Composite ratings.

==========================================

Demello Jones could wait no longer. He seized the opportunity this afternoon to become the 10th member of the 2024 Georgia football recruiting class.

The elite defender has been a target for UGA for several months. Jones has been a priority above other higher-ranked members of the 2024 cycle for the ‘Dawgs.

Jones is “only” ranked as the nation’s No. 194 overall recruit on the 247Sports Composite ratings, but the film below suggests he is a much higher-upside athlete than that.

He was ranked as the No. 6 target on the weekly “Before the Hedges” listing of the top targets for UGA in the entire 2024 cycle. Needless to say, this is a big one here.

Prince Avenue head coach Greg Vandagriff faced off against Jones in the state championship game last season. His Wolverines won the game and took home another state title, but he left the matchup very impressed by Jones.

“He is very explosive and has elite speed,” the two-time state championship head coach said. “Can probably play any number of positions in college. Very talented player. Can score every time he touches the ball.”

That’s the sort of athlete that will likely line up on defense for the “Dawgs. That says something about the talent level that isn’t going to dip anytime soon on the Georgia defense.

Jones picked the “Dawgs out of a late February top 10 that included the likes of Alabama, North Carolina, Kentucky, Miami, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

The ‘Dawgs seem to have a knack for pulling in very elite under-the-radar talent from pockets of the state outside of the Metro Atlanta area. Especially below the gnat line. Swainsboro is not quite exactly close to Augusta or Savannah, but somewhere between those two areas of the state.

The rising senior took his first visit to UGA for the Georgia Tech game last fall.

Did you know the weekly DawgNation.com "Before the Hedges" program is available as an Apple podcast? Click to check it out and download it.

When DawgNation profiled Jones earlier this year as a major target for the 2024 class, the following terms were used:

“Freak athlete.”

Plays “five or six” positions. Not counting his work as an electric kickoff returner.

His uncle was coached by Kirby Smart when they were both in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.

“He’s a #$%^ DUDE.”

His uncle, Deke Cooper, was a safety for the Miami Dolphins when Smart coached that one season in the NFL with Nick Saban. That was a big topic of conversation when Jones and his family got face time with Smart at the Georgia Tech game.

“He actually coached my uncle,” Jones said. “He was talking a lot about that. He coached my uncle when my uncle played for the Dolphins. He also said that I am a great athlete.”

Cooper is also from Swainsboro but went to high school in Indiana. He played in college at Notre Dame and made the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He had six years in the league by the time Smart saw him at Miami.

How many positions does Jones play for Swainsboro?

“I will say quarterback, running back, receiver, cornerback and safety,” Jones said. “If you count special teams, then kick return.”

The stat sheet backs all of that up. Check out what he did for his Tigers this year:

Where do the ‘Dawgs see him?

“They see me as a DB,” Jones said. “I’m being recruited for an athlete, though. Most see me as an athlete and a DB.”

The 6-foot, 175-pounder sees himself as a safety. That’s the way the ‘Dawgs see him, too.

He said “meeting Coach Kirby” was his favorite part of the visit. He said after that visit that being inside Sanford Stadium felt like “home” when he was in the stands.

Now, it will be.

“It was amazing,” he said back in November. “It was everything I expected. The environment was good. The coaches were good. Meeting Coach Smart was great.”

Georgia cornerbacks coach Fran Brown extended the offer. Brown used a very descriptive term when he offered him breaking down his game.

“They said I’m a ‘freak athlete’ and ‘I can do everything’ when they offered me,” Jones said.

He needs to put that on his prospect page. Position? FA! That’s a freak athlete. His favorite part of the game is scoring. Well, it is that and really one other big thing.

“Winning,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. I love winning.”

His favorite position is probably playing cornerback.

“I say maybe cornerback,” he said. “Because I love locking up people. I love locking up the best player.”

Jones said he ran a 4.45 in the 40 right before the summer in May. He does run track for Swainsboro. He was part of the state championship 4X100 relay team back in the spring.

One of the coaches that faced Jones compared him to Georgia LB commit CJ Allen. That’s how big of an impact he can make all over the field for his team.

“He’s a #$@ Dude,” that coach told DawgNation.

Check out the junior regular season tape for Jones below. It is substantial.

“I try to not have too many loafing plays where I walk around in the game,” he said. “I always try to play good and play well and look good out there.”

Swainsboro 2024 ATH Demello Jones (Courtesy photo)

SENTELL'S INTEL

(check on the recent reads on DawgNation.com)