Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This rep has the latest with 3-star Kyron Jones out of North Carolina. He ranks as the nation’s No. 42 RB and the No. 691 overall prospect for 2023 on the 247Sports Composite ratings.
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Kyron Jones describes himself as competitive.
He also goes out and lives it. The 3-star prospect out of Charlotte Christian brings his 6-foot-1 frame and 200 pounds to Georgia this weekend for an official visit.
Jones said he was running 11.02 seconds in the 100 meters after his junior football season. He then set a goal with his track coach and trainers he was going to run a 10.60 in the 100 this past spring.
“My best 40 time is a 4.38,” he said.
He did just that. Jones won the state championship in North Carolina with that blazing time in the 100 and also won the 200 meters with a 21.60 in the 200 meters.
“This kind of came from a mixture of explosive lifting and the speed training to go with it,” he said.
That’s blazing fast. The type of speed that any program in the country can use on their team. Even the defending national champions.
The Charlotte Christian star is currently committed to North Carolina State, but he is in Athens this weekend for his official visit. That comes on the heels of him taking an official visit to UGA for the Georgia Tech game.
It appears there’s something there. He’s not quite sure yet, but it strikes a chord with his competitive side.
Jones knows that the ‘Dawgs are on top of the college football mountain right now. He’s looking to see this weekend if he might be a fit into a thriving competitive culture in Athens.
“I’m very competitive so I want to be the best,” he said. “I want to outwork everybody that I am playing with. My work ethic kind of drives me to keep pushing and keep going. I also realize how the Lord has blessed me with the talents he has given me. The last thing I want to do is put them to waste. I want to make sure I will be the best I can be.”
He seems happy with his Wolfpack commitment, but he does want to see if he is a “fit” in Athens. How will he weigh those two feelings this weekend?
“I’m committed to N.C. State,” he said. “I liked it. But with Georgia coming after you, I’ve really got to weigh all my options. When you say Georgia, it is the top school. It is high up on - what do you say- the food chain in college football. Guys are going to compete. I’m a competitor as well so I just want to take a good look at it.”
What is he thinking heading into the UGA official?
“I’m just coming in and just want to check it out,” he said. “Take a look at Georgia. That’s really the main part. I want to look at it and see what I think of it and stuff.”
Do the ‘Dawgs have a chance here for him?
“I like how the campus is,” he said. “I like the fact they are bringing in the top guys in the country every year,” he said. “He is really competitive. It is a really competitive place. I feel like I’m a competitor so that, you know, might be something to check out.”
The fact that he’s ranked by the recruiting services as a 3-star RB means very little to Georgia. The ‘Dawgs have other plans in mind for his skill set among the SEC champions and the nation’s No. 1 team.
They see him as a hybrid prospect.
“For the most part most of my offers have been for running back and I’ve had a few at both positions,” he said. “Like it is with Georgia.”
What do the ‘Dawgs see in Kyron Jones?
Cornerbacks coach Fran Brown is his main recruiter for the ‘Dawgs. The one thing we know about Brown is that he looks for elite top-end speed in all of his cornerbacks.
“KJ” certainly will deliver that.
“He said he first wants me to start off with him at cornerback but he feels like I can play nickel, safety and corner,” Jones said. “He says I can play a mix of everything. Just ‘Get you here and start getting you developed as a full-time defensive back’ is what he is talking about.”
Georgia has not mentioned kick return with him. At least not up until his official visit started at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night.
Jones feels that football teaches a young man a lot about life.
“You get knocked back or knocked down you have got to get back up and keep going, he said. “There are a lot of valuable lessons that are taught in football. That is really what drives me in football because I love the sport so much.”
Jones also loves to win. That’s another thing that is attractive to him about UGA this weekend.
“What also excites me is making plays no matter where I am at and watching the guys around me make plays as well,” he said. “Just watching the whole team contribute to winning that game. That’s what I really love about it, too.”
What is his game?
“There is a physicality I play with on both sides of the ball,” he said. “I try to use good vision on offense carrying the ball and on defense I am able to be physical and jam receivers on the line and then stay with them. To be patient as I’m playing. Then back to the offensive side, I’m big on acceleration and my change of direction.”
What was it like when the ‘Dawgs offered him last month?
“I was excited,” he said. “To get an offer from Georgia is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not a lot of kids get that.”
Jones said the ‘Dawgs have let him know what they see in his game.
“They like the size I already have and the physicality I play with and the speed,” he said. “He says the best defensive players are fast, athletic and physical. He feels like I have all of that. He says I can contribute and he sees me being a draft pick and tells me how enticing Georgia can be with that in helping me get to the league.”
The other cool wrinkle of the Kyron Jones story
Jones could be classified as a late bloomer. He was slight when he entered high school.
“I was later to develop than most kids coming into high school,” he said. “I was really small. Didn’t weigh a lot. I was like 5-foot-7 and weighed like 140 my freshman year. Ever since then, I’ve just been getting bigger, faster and stronger.”
He will not be the first college football player in his family. His father was an offensive guard at North Carolina A&T. Jones has two older sisters in college at North Carolina AT&T at this time, too.
Jones will not enroll early. He is planning to sign early this month. There is a potential unofficial visit planned for Miami next week. He will also take an official visit to Nebraska next weekend.
“My goal is to get to the league but I want to get in the medical field but I don’t know like yet,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure that out. What route will I take? I don’t think I want to be a surgeon but the medical field is what I am leaning toward like maybe physical therapy or something like that.”
Jones has a new goal for this spring. He’s got his sights high.
“I want to get to a 10.3 or a 10.4,” he said. “10.4 is probably the goal.”
He was looking forward to this visit. Jones said he didn’t have a lot of questions coming in.
“I’m excited,” he said. “Just to see a better view on Georgia as a school. Football. Academics. This will just give me a chance to see more.”
What will it take for him to call this weekend a great visit? What will it take for him to strongly consider the ‘Dawgs down the line?
Does he need to feel wanted by the ‘Dawgs this weekend? Or is it deeper than that?
“Well, it is deeper than that,” he said. “I have got to feel like after this weekend that I can accomplish the goals I want to reach academically and athletically. It has to be a school I fit in at.”
Why is North Carolina State such a good fit for him right now?
“I’ve gotten to see it,” he said. “I’ve got to really take my good look at it. I see myself fitting in there. That’s kind of how it went down and why I committed there.”
His ultimate football dream is to come back and play for his hometown Carolina Panthers.
“I’ve been a Panthers fan ever since I have been watching football,” Jones said. “We’re kind of in a rough time right now for the franchise but we’ll get back up there.”
Check out some of his senior film below against a strong Providence Day team:
SENTELL’S INTEL
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