There are a few guys in each recruiting cycle who are relative unknowns who come onto the scene late in their high school careers and take off as players.
In modern day recruiting, where sources like Hudl, Dartfish, Coach’s Eye and countless other resources are available to help identify players, some might dismiss the benefit of June football camps. That’d be a mistake.
Look no further than Omaha North defensive back Donovan Jones, who had to earn his Husker offer the way some in-state recruits always used to.
Jones lost his freshman campaign when Omaha Public Schools administrators canceled the 2020 season due to COVID. Unlike many OPS players, Jones didn’t transfer schools and stayed at Omaha North. He was a key contributor as a sophomore while the Vikings made a run to the Class A semifinals in 2021.
Go here for more from Jeremy Pernell’s series.
Jones became a starter as a junior and was named third-team All-Metro and honorable-mention all-state after finishing with 41 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and a touchdown.
With only one year as a starter, Jones went into the 2023 offseason flying under the radar with FBS programs, although he was beginning to hear from several FCS schools. He earned DII offers from Sioux Falls, NW Missouri State, Minnesota State and Central Missouri but was looking for much more heading into the June camp season.
Truth be told, heading into the summer, Jones wasn’t on Nebraska’s – or any regional program’s – radar like Carter Nelson, Caleb Benning or the trio at Bellevue West were. He was regarded as someone who would probably end up at a place like Wyoming or possibly one of the FCS schools in the Dakotas.
As spring headed into summer, Jones was contacted by Northern Illinois, who had hoped to keep him a secret. That was no longer possible after Jones participated in the Lindenwood (Mo.) University mega camp the first week of June, where he earned FCS offers from Lindenwood and reigning national champions South Dakota State. Coming in one of the most prominent satellite camps in the region, Donovan’s performance and testing numbers put him on several FBS programs’ radars, including schools like Arkansas.
Jones had been in Lincoln during the spring to attend a practice and had preliminary discussions with the staff who had evaluated his junior tape. The Huskers initially told him they would monitor his progress and see how he did as a senior.
Unlike previous Husker staffs, Nebraska’s coaches didn’t participate in the Lindenwood camp – something I suggest they do in the future. Even so, they caught word of his workout and invited Jones to attend one of their Friday Night Lights camps.
Before he got to Lincoln, Jones was at South Dakota State’s camp to work out for the staff that had given him his first prominent offer. He was one of the most impressive players there, hitting 10-feet-5½-inches in the broad jump and excelling in drills and one-on-ones.
Donovan has pointed to his time spent working at the Warren Academy and with former NFL and CFL RB Kenton Keith as being pivotal in his development. Ever since his freshman year he had been playing on one of Warren’s 7-v-7 teams and receiving instruction from one of the Academy’s several trainers.
As I’m sure most of you know by now, the Academy is run by former Husker Steve Warren. As it turned out, Warren was actually scheduled to work the June 16 camp that Jones was attending. Prior to his workout, Warren gave Husker coaches a heads-up to keep tabs on him.
Jones had a great camp. He measured 6-foot-½ and 185 pounds, and during testing ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash, jumped 10 feet in the broad jump and had a 36-inch vertical. Defensive backs coach Evan Cooper and defensive coordinator Tony White spent most of camp evaluating him and putting Jones through several drills.
An offer from Nebraska was the goal for Donovan, but it didn’t seem likely since communication up to that point hadn’t been as fervent as other schools. He’d actually been trying to earn a scholarship from Wyoming, whose coaches were also at the camp.
The Cowboy staff had been in constant contact for a while and told him they were looking to offer him if he impressed at the camp. True to their word, head coach Craig Bohl offered Jones midway through the workout during one-on-one drills.
Jones made a huge impression on Husker coaches too. After the camp, Evan Cooper had a discussion with Donovan and his family on the side of the field. He told Donovan how impressed he was with him and that coaches would be in contact in about a week.
So much for that. Jones got a FaceTime call from Cooper around noon the next day. After talking for a while, Cooper handed the phone to head coach Matt Rhule. Jones had just returned home from a workout and was wearing an Iowa State shirt. Rhule playfully told him to call him back when he put a Husker T-shirt on. Donovan did, and Rhule offered him a scholarship right then.
The only caveat was the coaches needed an answer that day. With their class filling up, coaches couldn’t guarantee his spot indefinitely.
Donovan called his father, Deondre, to tell him about the offer and the decision that needed to be made. Deondre, who was at Oak Hills Country Club golfing at the time, left in the middle of the ninth hole to return home.
Donovan called Husker coaches back a few hours later and committed. He returned to campus two days later for a midweek official visit June 19-21. He publicly announced his committed to Nebraska on June 22.
Relatively unknown before his commitment, Donovan Jones went out and validated Steve Warren’s opinion and Evan Cooper’s evaluation. As a senior, he finished with 57 tackles, five tackles for loss and four interceptions, earning first-team All-Nebraska, all-state and all-metro by the Omaha World-Herald and being named first-team Super-State by the Lincoln Journal Star.
Jones also contributed on offense and special teams for Omaha North and was an accomplished track athlete. As a junior, Jones qualified for the state track meet in the 100 and 200 meters and helped Omaha North place sixth in the 4×100 relay.
Jones fits the mold of what Nebraska looks for in a defensive back and is the kind of developmental project that Evan Cooper seems to love. He can probably play boundary corner, but he’ll likely come to Nebraska this summer with safety or rover in his future.
I like how aggressive Jones is in run support. He has good range and closes quickly in the open field. He should provide Evan Cooper and Tony White some versatility in the back end as they reshape the room in the coming years.
At his early signing day press conference, Matt Rhule made sure to thank Steve Warren, Abdul Muhammad and Damon Benning. Those three former Huskers have their fingers on the pulse of in-state kids – in particular the Omaha area.
For a staff that’s built so much on relationships, these guys are important moving forward and it was smart of Rhule to acknowledge them. These guys have watched most of these kids since they were playing in youth leagues. Donovan Jones being a Husker can be directly linked to having connections like these.
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