Nebraska Football Signee Analysis: Wide Receiver Jeremiah Jones

Under head football coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska has targeted numerous players based on traits such as speed, agility and length, with positional versatility being another attribute they look for. Jeremiah Jones checks all the boxes as a 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect who has played all over the field for Murray (Ky.) High School.

Despite having a prototypical frame and athletic profile — and being productive on both sides of the ball — Jones didn’t receive the sort of recruiting attention a player of his immense potential would have normally garnered.

Nebraska was his second Power Four offer on Nov. 5, 2023, following in-state Louisville by less than a month. At the time, he held additional offers from in-state FCS schools Eastern Kentucky and Murray State.

Jones made several trips to Louisville over the years, and it’s believed many schools simply backed away assuming he was a lock for the hometown Cardinals. Nebraska, however, stayed in consistent communication following their offer and pivoted toward making him a priority in the spring after sending the entire defensive staff to visit him during the contact period.

With recruiting efforts being led by former coaches Garret McGuire and Tony White, along with Rob Dvoracek, Nebraska persuaded Jones to come to Lincoln for an official visit and then kept him on track for that trip after he visited Louisville officially on May 31 and nearly committed.

He was accompanied by his brother, sister and mother on his visit to Lincoln on June 21, and they were all blown away by the experience. Jones actually went fishing with legendary coach Tom Osborne and reportedly caught a bass and some bluegill.

With alluring potential on both sides of the ball, Husker coaches have long been enamored with Jones’ versatility and had been recruiting him as an athlete with the potential to play wide receiver or rover — a hybrid safety/linebacker in Nebraska’s 3-3-5 defense. The main goal has been to get him on campus and find the best spot for him to develop. During his visit, Jones attended position meetings with both the receivers and the defensive backs.

Initially, the staff had been leaning toward starting him out on the defensive side of the ball where — in my opinion — he has the most upside. As it got closer to signing day, however, the plan shifted and the staff promised to give him a shot at receiver — his position of choice — first and foremost.

Jones committed to the Huskers on July 1, but several teams kept in contact with him and attempted to flip him throughout the fall. Kentucky sniffed around and Louisville tried to stay in the picture, but it was Missouri and Florida State who proved to be the biggest hurdles to overcome.

Jones had taken an unofficial visit to Tallahassee in early April, and his eye-popping measurables enticed the Seminole staff enough to invite him back for their annual Elite Camp on June 9. Working exclusively at tight end, Jones was singled out for having one of the best workouts among a large contingency of four- and five-star prospects between the ’25, ’26 and ’27 classes. Yet, for some reason, the Seminoles didn’t elect to offer him a scholarship.

As FSU’s season went sideways and speculation grew over coach Mike Norvell’s job status, the Seminoles suffered several decommitments and needed to reshuffle their board. Norvell offered Jones on Oct. 15, but despite mutual interest initially, FSU was unable to get him on campus for a visit.

Missouri had more luck. The Tigers had offered July 27 and made him a priority from that point. They persuaded Jones to take an official visit on Nov. 9 and started to trend as a possible flip destination.

In fact, during the early morning hours when the signing period opened, Jones was reportedly mulling over signing with Missouri. Matt Rhule needed to do some damage control and help ease Jones’ concerns after questions surrounding the future of wide receivers coach Garret McGuire surfaced.

Fans knew something was happening behind the scenes when Rhule was scheduled for a signing day press conference that had to be pushed back. Indeed, Rhule was in contact with Jones and with help from the 1890 Initiative — Nebraska’s NIL collective — he was able to close the deal with Jones, who is just the second scholarship player from the Bluegrass State to ever sign with Nebraska, joining Wan’Dale Robinson.

Jones was a one-man wrecking crew for his high school and is rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports and On3, which ranks him the No. 137 overall player in the class.

Jones spent his sophomore season playing free safety, finishing with 97 tackles and five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. As a junior, he played primarily wide receiver and outside linebacker, but also spent time at quarterback. He finished with 22 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 62 times for 304 yards and three more touchdowns. He also completed 52-of-104 passes for 643 yards and six touchdowns. He had 66 tackles on defense, which included four sacks, five tackles for loss, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, including one he returned for a touchdown.

Opinions are all over the map regarding where to play Jones at the next level. Florida State targeted him as a tight end or big-bodied wide receiver. Kentucky had spoken to him about playing inside linebacker, while Louisville felt that outside linebacker was his best fit — although they were open to giving him a look at wide receiver as well.

It’ll be interesting to see if Jones remains on offense, whether as a big-bodied receiver or a dynamic tight end. Personally, I think his ceiling is highest on the defensive side of the ball where he can be a versatile chess piece. He reminds me of incoming Oklahoma transfer Dasan McCullough, who has the size and athleticism to potentially play the Jack or Rover positions.

Jones could certainly end up being a legit WR1 at the X position, but I would love to see him on defense. Jones runs the 100 meters in sub 11 seconds and with his length, frame and explosiveness — he’s also a high-level basketball player — he could be a serious difference-maker on defense with his multi-positional versatility.

He shows incredible burst and acceleration when closing space on ball carriers and has a history of being around the ball and forcing takeaways throughout his career. With his ball skills and experience as a defensive back, he shouldn’t have any problem being asked to cover tight ends or running backs even if he settles in as an off-ball linebacker.

Murray head coach Melvin Cunningham raves about Jones’ football IQ and talked about his ability to both call the defense and audible on offense. Having played all over the field has helped Jones’ understanding of the game and has allowed him to see it from a unique perspective.

The downside of Jones’ constant position shuffling, however, is that he hasn’t been able to fully focus on learning just one position. Matt Rhule has a track record of taking players with his metrics and developing them into superstars, but there’s no doubt Jones would benefit from finding his permanent position as early as possible.

Jones enrolled early and is already participating in winter conditioning. Tracking his progress this spring will be fun. He’s never focused on one primary position, and with a stacked room in front of him, it’s hard to imagine he’ll crack the rotation at receiver this fall. But we’ll see. His combination of size, strength and speed is unique to the room, even with the addition of several prominent transfers.

Jones’ potential is through the roof. I’m looking forward to seeing what he looks like in a couple years after working with Corey Campbell and the strength and conditioning staff. He seems like the ultimate boom-or-bust prospect. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Jones ends up being the best player in this class. I also wouldn’t be shocked if he doesn’t live up to his immense potential. Truly a fascinating prospect.

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