Key Stats:
Bishop O'Down|Oakland, CA
Running Back|5'10"|200 pounds
Rivals Rank: Four stars|#6 Running Back
Key Offers:
Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oregon, Princeton, UCLA, Washington
Profile:
With Washington and Stanford the two finalists for his services, the recruitment of Austin Jones must have been interesting, to say the least. Jones's head coach at powerhouse Bishop O'Dowd was Napoleon Kaufman, the legendary Husky tailback. His running back coach? Stanford legend, Tommy Vardell. Assuming Jones looked to his two coaches for advice, we're lucky that Jones listened to Vardell and chose the Cardinal.
How good is Jones? The four-star prospect is the highest ranked back on the West Coast (sixth in the nation, according to Rivals.com) and one of the most highly regarded running backs the Cardinal has ever landed, the type of player who opens eyes immediately. The first thing you notice when you cue the film of Austin Jones (see below) is his size. Although the University lists him at 5'11" and 190 pounds, Jones is no scatback. He runs much bigger than that profile, often pounding his way through tacklers to get tough yardage at the line of scrimmage, but also easily outdistancing defenders with breakaway speed. When you couple all that with his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, it's hard not to think back to Christian McCaffrey, but the better comparison is probably Todd Gurley II. It's a bit dangerous to compare a high school senior to one of the best running backs in the NFL, but there are similarities between the two.
Jones rushed for 2,005 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior, and added 27 catches for 378 yards receiving. Most Division I prospects will pile up numbers like that, especially on a team that advances deep into the playoffs (Bishop O'Dowd won the California Division II state championship), but it's important to note that Jones did this against some stiff competition, including a 213-yard rushing performance against national power Concord De La Salle.
When Jones arrives at Stanford in the summer, he'll encounter a running back depth chart that's about as unsettled as we've seen in the past eight or ten years. Cameron Scott and Trevor Speights are both experienced players who should get the bulk of the work, and rising sophomore Justus Woods has potential, but nothing about the running back rotation is clear right now. Considering this uncertainty, along with the four-game redshirt rule, it's a safe bet that Jones will get an on-field audition this fall. One thing is certain, however -- the future here is bright.
