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MILLVILLE — Despite being just a sophomore, Krew Jones' recruitment has been as active as any player in the country for the sophomore class.
BYU and Utah were two of the first schools to recruit Jones, but he now holds 17 offers since they both extended ones of their own.
Out of the schools that are on his radar early, Jones has arguably the strongest relationship with BYU for how long he's been around the program. The Cougars were his second offer.
"It's a pretty strong relationship. I've been to their games and quite a few practices," Jones said. "I went to a couple camps last year and this year to get more around the coaches. … I've had coaches meetings and film, learning how they play ball, and learning their culture and how they do things. It's been awesome."
Utah was Jones' fourth offer, and it is another program that he's been around a lot. He has a good relationship with the coaching staff as a whole, appreciating their knowledge for the game, their discipline and their attack on the ball.
But along with the many players he knows at Utah, he has a close relationship with current Utah linebacker Levani Damuni, who played at Ridgeline as a part of the Class of 2017. Damuni transferred to Utah after playing four seasons at Stanford.
"I've been around a lot of those kids, kids that are going into Utah that I've done camps with, which is a lot," Jones said. "And they're a good program. I like the red and the black — love those colors. It's a good relationship."
But after Jones and his family took a three-week long summer recruiting trip this past summer, his recruitment exploded.
Jones was able to camp at Arkansas, Arizona State, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, USC, and Washington this summer, accumulating several offers by the end of the trip.
One school to offer was Oregon, and Jones was impressed by the program when given a tour around the facilities. After performing well at camp, the Ducks extended an offer.
"Oregon's a beautiful place, the facilities were just different," Jones said. "And what they plan to do with me and what they plan to do in the future is insane. … I was able to talk to coach (Dan) Lanning. He's a great guy, very smart, knows what he's talking about. (He's) very enthusiastic, awesome to talk to. Seems like a good coach, good guy."
Nebraska was another school to offer when Jones camped around the country. He was overwhelmed by the size of the stadium when he arrived, saying it was one of the first big-time stadiums that he saw.
He also got to talk to some of the staff there, leaving impressed with how they carried themselves.
"A lot of the coaches know what they're doing. (I) talked to coach (Matt) Rhule, he's a great guy. I love his fire, knowing how to keep those kids disciplined," Jones said. "The facilities were amazing. As we were walking through, each room was one upping the next in recovery and all those facilities."
But when Jones and his family dipped into the SEC, things reached a new level — and that started in Oklahoma.
Jones camped in Norman, where he, again, was impressed when he toured the facilities and received an offer.
"It was amazing. We went to the stadium, and thye taught us about the history and why they have their name," Jones said. "That was, I think, my first or second SEC offer, just breaking into a new level. That was awesome."
During this season, Tennessee extended an offer. Jones' coach put him on the phone, and was met with some great news.
"Tennessee was sweet. I haven't been there yet, but it was just a random phone call after practice," Jones said. "I was super excited. I hope to go there this year or next year for a game or a camp, get to know some more coaches."
Shortly after receiving an offer from Tennessee, Jones took an unofficial visit to USC for the Trojans' home game against Utah State.
He's talked to USC's defensive ends coach Shaun Nua multiple times before the visit, but his trip to Los Angeles was his first time in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
"USC was sweet," Jones said. "I talked to (Nua) a couple other times, and then I saw him in person; that was really fun. It's just different in California, obviously, but it was an amazing experience."
Things don't look to be slowing down for Jones any time soon, as he looks to attend Texas A&M's home game against LSU on Oct. 25. He also hopes to camp at Alabama, Georgia and other schools in the south next year.
