Jones stock is on the rise

Ronald Jones II created quite the buzz when his junior highlights hit the Orangebloods.com message boards a couple weeks ago.

On tape, the McKinney North product shows terrific speed and vision. He runs hard, fighting for extra yardage. At 6-0 and 185 pounds, he's often-times seen running away from defenders as if they're stuck in mud.

The clips were impressive, and it wasn't a case of Jones having a few big highlights mixed in with a bunch of mediocre play. Jones rushed for 2,406 yards (200 ypg) and 39 touchdowns on the year, averaging just under 10 yards per carry.

The video and the stats not only caught the eyes of Orangebloods.com subscribers, they were apparently enough to grab the attention of the Texas coaching staff. Texas reached out to Jones via Facebook this week and invited him to visit, and Jones will be in town for Thursday night's Longhorn home game against Texas Tech.

What does Jones feel has caught the attention of a program like Texas?

"I guess just the speed, the fact that I can take it to the house at any second," Jones said. "I guess they see potential. It's a good feeling when a school like Texas comes knocking on your door."

Jones has an already impressive skill set, but he said there are areas in which he can still improve.

"I need to get stronger, get better with ball security, switch the ball," Jones said. "And sometimes I'm a little hesitant on my first couple of carries. But that's just nerves. And I want to improve on my pass blocking in certain situations."

Jones was actually born in the Austin area before moving to McKinney when he was about 11 years old. He has some familiarity with the Texas program, but Thursday night will be his first chance to take in a Texas game.

"Johnathan Gray is out so I guess I'll be watching Malcolm Brown. I'm looking for a good experience," Jones said. "I'm actually from Austin, but the ironic part is I've never been to a Longhorn game. I just want to see what the atmosphere is like."

Jones has picked up offers from Texas Tech, Oregon State and Colorado State. A handful of other programs have been sending mail and the interest in Jones will surely increase as more programs see his highlight film.

Jones, who has been clocked at 4.48 in the 40-yard dash, is also a standout on the track in the 100 and 200 meter sprints. As for recruiting, he's keeping an open mind at this point.

"Honestly, I really don't know (of any favorites)," Jones said. "I'm pretty open to my decision. I'm open to anything right now."