Blue-Grey Recruit Watch: Chris Jones

Now, after the dust has finally settled following National Signing Day, we have some news to report on recruits in the Class of 2014 who are moving on to college after increasing their stock in front of coaches and scouts at the recent Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

We hosted a pair of games, with the latest one taking place inside of Raymond James Stadium at the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 11. The first time around, AT&T Stadium at the home of the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 22 was the site.

Several prospects from the All-American Bowl signed to schools: Kamryn Pettway with Auburn, Keith Harrington with Washington State and Vic Enwere with Cal. Lastly, a decision awaits from one-time Wisconsin commit and potential Maryland pledge Chris Jones.

Wisconsin commit Chris Jones participated in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl at Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Raymond James Stadium.

There were no surprises, in that regard. Except, perhaps for Jones, who opened up many eyes with his effort in the Sunshine State. So much so, schools from all over the country expressed varied levels of interest in him, especially  after his effort at the All-American Bowl.

While there are many good examples of individuals taking advantage of the opportunity when it was presented to them on the big stage, we’d like to highlight a few right now and cover the others later. Many players are deserving of recognition, in fact.

Bradley Payne, for one, got the job done. He opened up plenty of eyes with his effort along the line of scrimmage. As a result of the performance, the 6-foot-3 and 285-pound defensive lineman from Cheney (Kan.) signed to play for Division II William Jewel.

James Dees is a recruit worth nothing. The 6-foot and 180-pound defensive back from Cox Mill (NC) is heading to Tusculum. Same thing can be said about Austin Speed. The 6-1 and 280-pound offensive lineman from Goliad (TX) is off to Texas Lutheran.

Darius Aguirre, a 6-foot 180-pound wide receiver from from Peoia (AZ), signed Wednesday afternoon with Texas Southern. Adrian Salazar, a 5-10 and 180-pound defensive back out of Millenium (AZ), firmed up his plans and committed to Arizona Christian.

Christian Pleasant, a 6-1 and 240-pound defensive end from Rose (N.C.), will play at Campbell in the near future. Also worth mentioning, Robert Webber, a 5-11 and 170-pound quarterback from Centennial (CA), made his decision and signed with Humboldt State.

That said, this thorough and well-rounded list of alums from the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl with plans to play in college is concluded. We are far from finished, however. Stay tuned for more updates.

Author: Sean Ceglinsky

Sean Ceglinsky is a freelance writer from Los Angeles (Calif.) and has covered sports in the Golden State, and on the West Coast, for the better part of the past 15 years. He will be a regular contributor for Blue-Grey Football. Follow him on Twitter: @SeanCeglinsky