Kristopher Jones: Top 10 LB prospect breaks down impactful three-day visit to check out Georgia football
DawgNation Staff
Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This rep has the latest with 4-star LB Kristopher Jones. He ranks as the nation’s No. 10 LB and the No. 109 overall prospect for 2024 on the 247Sports Composite ratings.
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Kristopher Jones lists “Remember the Titans” among his favorite movies.
It makes sense. A football player from Virginia is going to love that movie., but it gets better than that.
When quizzed about his favorite characters, he rattled off two: Julius Campbell and Jerry “Rev” Harris.
As the 4-star LB prospect described those two, a thought came to mind. It was one of the lines from “Sunshine” in that same classic Hollywood script.
We can dig it.
Jones, an All-American defender like Campbell, will come flying in off the edge with great success for his Mountain View team. He’s also the son of a minister.
No wonder he liked “Rev” in that movie. The 4-star LB does not sing Motown hits in the locker room, though.
“They just loved everything about it,” Jones said. “They loved how structured everything is. They love the coaches. They loved the campus.”
It was a nine-hour drive from Northern Virginia. He wanted to be sure about the opportunity in Athens. He left with a clear answer. Jones said he knows for sure that one school will now get an official visit.
That’s Georgia.
Jones did mention the staff has already reached out to him about that first weekend in June. That’s when the ‘Dawgs are trying to get all their A+ targets in town for officials.
He had a “wow” moment during that multi-day visit.
“Just going out there and watching them practice and just like how fast-paced and upbeat their practices are,” he said. “Just how focused and in tune they are. Their preparation to play this game is just amazing.”
He learned a lot watching the back-to-back national champions get after it.
“They are one team,” he said. “They all have one goal in mind and it is just different out there.”
He was on campus the whole day for the first two days. The third day was a chill day and meant for an Athens orientation. That was last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The two UGA days were loaded. He checked out how the defense closely. He paid close attention to their reads and how active the Georgia linebackers are at the highest level of college football.
“We just did everything,” Jones said. “I watched practice. I got to sit in meetings. Got to watch them work out.”
Kristopher Jones: What does he already think of Georgia football?
What does he like best about Georgia?
“I like the way they use their linebackers,” he said. “Their facilities are amazing, too.”
It gave him a strong sense of why the ‘Dawgs are so successful.
“Just the way they prepare,” he said. “Their practices are just out of this world. They prepare for practice. Film. They are watching the film after practice. I feel like just how structured they are is what sets them apart.”
Jones will be the first member of his family to play college football. He’s also going to use football to pick up a kinesiology major in college.
He grew up watching his bigger cousins and his older brother playing football. Waiting for his turn.
“Just seeing them out there playing football and having so much fun was something I wanted to do,” Jones said. “Since then, it has been a passion for me.”
He’s got a great way of looking at what it takes to excel.
“Sucess doesn’t come overnight,” he says. “You have to work for everything that you get.”
Jones first visited Georgia last summer. He came down for a camp and earned his offer on the grass in Athens.
What is he looking for in the right school?
“How I fit in the defensive scheme,” he said. “Of course, education. [The school] has to have my major.”
Jones said he does have some family in Georgia. There is a cousin in Atlanta.
He has an aunt from Louisiana. That’s why he liked LSU a lot growing up. The Tigers are one of the next schools he has in mind for a thorough research visit.
“I want to go to LSU and I want to see Oklahoma and that’s really about it,” he said.
He has been to check out Florida, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State so far. Jones feels like he has a solid handle on what all those fine programs also have to offer.
The chance to speak with Kirby Smart was another highlight.
“It was amazing,” Jones said. “Just talking about my film, my work ethic and how I would fit into the program. Just talked about life outside of campus a little bit.”
What did Smart tell him?
“They like how versatile I am,” he said. “He feels like I’m one of the best edge rushers in the nation and I can also play in the middle, too. He just likes how versatile I am.”
He plans to take all five of his officials. At this time, he does not have a timetable for his decision.
“I would like to do it before the season starts but I’m not rushing anything,” he said. “Just letting everything happen.”
Good stuff on Kristopher Jones, but can he play?
Take a quick lap around this junior highlight film below.
This young man is active. And everywhere. And he can play.
It starts with a sack coming off the edge. Then another QB takedown on a blitz up the middle. He chases down a QB from the backside with a decent little Travon Walker impersonation in that No. 44 jersey.
There are a lot of hits. Filing the gap. Making plays in space. Flashing a swim move to get past a tackle for another sack. TFLs. There’s some good pursuit down the line of scrimmage for more TFLs. There’s a clip of where he drives his blocker upfield and then is able to redirect and come back to drop the QB in the pocket.
He’s hitting guys so hard that their eyelids probably hurt afterward. That’s just the first two minutes.
“I like contact,” Jones said. “That’s how I get into the games.”
Scan for the Pick-6 at the 2:20 mark below.
“I had to set off a block and get out to the flats and wind up catching a one-handed pick and taking it to the house,” he said.
Recruiters see him as a hybrid.
“They see me more as an inside guy but they believe like on third downs I can be up on the edge and help rush the quarterback,” Jones said.
That nails it. Positional versatility is a plus here for Schumann and the ‘Dawgs.
“He just likes how physical that I play,” Jones said. “I can run sideline to sideline. I’m just a very rangy linebacker and he feels like I would be a great fit in that defense.”
The best tools in the toolbox here are his football IQ, footwork, strength and overall speed.
“I feel like I can drop back in pass coverage a little better,” Jones said. “I feel like I get a little lazy on that but that’s most definitely something I will get better at.”
Jones was even wildly productive as a sophomore racking up 142 tackles and 26 stops for losses. He won’t embarrass himself in coverage and can read and react to what he’s seeing in the middle of a defense.
The rising senior holds a 3.5 GPA in the classroom, will graduate early and be at his next campus by January.
The fact that Georgia wins big at the highest level is a consideration. Does that stand out to him?
“Yes sir most definitely but obviously I’m not going to pick a school just because they win national championships,” Jones said.
There’s more to it here for his prospect. He even found a cool breakfast spot and a delicious pizza in Athens.
“Just the people around and in Athens is just amazing,” he said.
His father is a minister, but he also played football in high school. His faith has been a great foundation, he said.
“It is a big part of my life,” he said. “It is a big part of what my family and I do. It has just been amazing. Just growing up having a Dad like that. Just wise. Just looking over me and just wishing the best for me.”
Kristopher Jones. Remember that name.
There’s a lot to like about this prospect in the 2024 class.
SENTELL’S INTEL
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