Quarterback Jalon Jones’ stay at Florida is going to be a short one. The true freshman and early enrollee has entered the NCAA transfer database and will pursue his college career at another school.
Jones, a four-star prospect from Richmond, Va., finished the spring a distant fourth on the depth chart, behind junior starter Feleipe Franks, junior Kyle Trask and redshirt freshman Emory Jones.
Like most true freshman QBs would, Jones had his share of struggles in the spring, especially throwing the football.
He completed just one of three passes for five yards in the spring game, but rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown.
With his departure, the Gators will open preseason camp this summer with only three scholarship quarterbacks — Franks, Trask and Jones. UF has a commitment for the recruiting class of 2020 — four-star Eastside quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Gators likely will now try to add another quarterback to the class.
I start this w/ the caveat that if this a family medical reason, I rescind my comments, but if not, then this kid is just embracing what he and the rest of his generation have been taught. If it’s hard, you just quit and go find somewhere that it’s easier. Don’t work w/ the coach who developed Dak Prescott, just quit because it’s hard and you weren’t the best player on the team anymore. Of course he struggled. I’d be very upset if he wasn’t a distant 4th to 3 talented players who have been in the system for a full year ahead of him. Again, I hope he and his family have no medical issues, but just seems like he’s running away the instant he faced a little adversity.
I wouldn’t put it as a generation thing, but definitely a college qb thing right now. Cant imagine he thought he would be the starter or even the backup by now. Maybe he is dealing with some homesick issues? Will be interesting to see where he goes now. The GA fans will love this after Mullen made the jabs about Fields transferring after a year.
Well said. He had to realize that he has a year more eligibility than any QB on the roster so he could be the starter one day so it has to be he wants to go where he can play sooner against lesser talent. Short term thinking. He wont get the strength and conditioning elsewhere that he would have gotten here nor the level of development he would have gotten under Mullen. The proof is just look how the other Jones developed since last year. That would have been him next year and if he thinks he’s so hot then he should have thought he could beat out the other Jones next year!
I dont know what they said to him but I would have sat him down and shown him tape of Jones last year and Jones in the spring game and pointed out ” that can be you next year! Personally I expected him to beat out the other Jones next year because he is a better talent. He is also a better talent than Richardson!
This is really disappointing news. I was sooooo excited for him. Dude was ALL IN from early on and seemed to be adjusting nicely to UF. I wonder if it might be a medical reason and he’s jut not disclosing it. I know he would’ve been a great asset once he became familiar with the system. I wish the young man well wherever he should end up. Unless it’s lswho, Tennessee, fswho, or Bama. GEAUXX GATORS!!
Just read on another site that his transferring is a “mutual decision”. Seems like there might be more to this story than him just not liking his depth chart position. Hmmmmm
Sparky I read that too. Just seems everyone wants to bail at the first difficulty that hits them. But it does seem there is something if the transferring is mutual. We will likely not know for some time. Hope he isn’t in any trouble and maybe he cannot handle being away from home.
Lots of rumors out there already about some problems with a lady friend and possibly a failed drug test. Hopefully the kid can get things worked out and become successful.
I saw Jimmy Hoffa’s name come up too
Yea, lots of rumors that dont mean SQUAT. Look at all the fake news rumors that pass as news today! I wouldnt repeat them on any site, youre just bearing false witness when you do and helping the garbage spread!
And to think I had predicted him to be “the one”. After he paid his dues, of course. Guess that was too hard? Regardless, I’m really getting tired of this type of thing. It won’t be any easier unless he transfers to, say, Wyoming……but I wouldn’t even count on it out there, where the men are truly men and the sheep always nervous.
Since we don’t know the details, it’s difficult to really know how to interpret this. But I will say as general commentary that it does seem that this younger generation has its fair share of kids who want and expect instant success and stardom and are not as willing to put in the effort needed to truly get there. If you look at the hours and sweat and effort that Feleipe and Kyle and Emory have put in to get where they are, it would be a little ridiculous to think that you could just walk on campus and be the top gator right away. I’m not bashing Jalon because I don’t know the details of his situation. As a Gator fan I wish him success wherever he goes and if he does have issues, please get them handled so that you take advantage of the opportunity you have due to your physical talent.
Odd thing is this kid was well scouted and not just by the Gators, yet it seemed as if he couldn’t throw an accurate pass this spring. Even in a passer friendly spring game, he had trouble connecting with receivers.
Oh well, onto the next. Depth will be a little shy at QB this fall.
Need to really, really, really concentrate on recruiting FLORIDA. This staff and particularly the CDM are not great recruiters. We need to make sure there are as few reasons as possible for kids to leave. Georgia kids are good to recruit too. We should be able to fill 90% of our class or more with kids from Florida or Georgia. No reason to go to Louisiana, Alabama or any other state to get our recruits. Those players aren’t any better than Georgia or Florida players and being home sick isn’t an issue for an in state player.
Guess this means we need to sign 2 qbs now. It’s possible we may only have 1 qb on the roster after this upcoming season is over if Franks has the season everyone hopes he will. Losing this kid is no bueno.
David, I know you’re a Gator through and through, and you’ll always be my brudder for that alone. But come on, bud…..this isn’t the first time you’ve slammed CDM for recruiting sans evidence for those statements. What are we missing here? Did he pee in your cornflakes or somethin’ last time he was here?
I’m with you 6. I think this last draft proved what kind of recruiter Mullen is and more so a developer. Since the first draft in 1936, MSU has only produced a total of 13 1st rd picks. 3 of those happened in this draft alone. In 83 years they’ve produced a total of 196 draft picks. Mullen was responsible for 31 of them in his 9 seasons. Before he took over, it took 13 years for them to produce 31 draft picks. The guy won more games in 9 seasons than anyone in the history of that program. You can’t accomplish those feats by being a poor recruiter. Sorry David, but the “not a great recruiter” label doesn’t match the results. A great recruiter doesn’t just scan websites to find the highest rated recruits. They’re able spot talent no one else sees and find diamonds in the rough to compliment the top talent. Mullen seems to do that better than most, with the exception of maybe Swinney. 2 of those 3 first rounders this year were 3 star recruits. By the way David, check where the Gators are sitting in the rankings for the next 2 classes.
“David, I know you’re a Gator through and through…”
I wouldn’t be too sure of that 6. The guy is always finding fault with something or someone. I suspect he could be another yet iteration of Winter / Juju / etc.
Hey Albert, where the heck ya’ been, old boy? Hasn’t been quite the same without your comments — glad to see you back in the mix.
Yeah, could be but I doubt it…….just one man’s opinion and I for one sure don’t want to go back to the bad old days when one person in particular was calling anyone and everyone a troll for simply having an opinion other than his. Me certainly, and you too a few times as I recall. We lost a few good guys during that time too. Anyway, glad you’re back and hopefully a few more of the old crowd will start weighing in too soon.
Let’s look at the facts. CDM has done okay at Florida recruiting but not sure he is any better than Zook or Muschamp at recruiting and probably worse. Not sure he is better than McLoser either. Once they left UF they dropped big time in recruiting class and the types they pulled in. Muschamp’s achilles heal has always been recruiting. If you look at the 3 first round picks from MSU, 2 of them(Sweat and Abram) would not likely make it into UF. The other was a top 20 recruit out of high school(in mississippi) so there were very high expectations for him. The one thing I give him on all those guys is he by far a better developer of talent and by far a better HBC. This year will be interesting. Will Clemson, OSU, and BAMA come into Florida and pretty much take who they want. At this point it looks like the answer is probably yes. As for the qb situation. Trask will never start at UF unless Mullen has no other choice. He wants a running qb. Look what Meyer had at OSU and Mullen at MSU, running qbs. Jones leaving is bad because we could easily be looking at Franks moving on if he has a great year. He is a pro-typical qb with size and arm strength. His biggest problem is his head. If that gets worked out, he’s gone. After that, we have 1 qb who can run and maybe a true freshman. Lastly since the players at MSU went in the first round, are they Mullens? Would that make Taylor, McLosers? Hard to believe Taylor would have done as well with McLoser as head coach.
Addendum to recruiting better than McLoser. Think CDM is better, especially with the transfers in.
You know, of course, that some will call you a troll for words like that — but I on the other hand will defend with my life your God given right to be wrong, David. 🤣
I believe UF has enough QB talent for the next 3-4 years to compete at a high level in the SEC. Emory Jones will be awesome for two years. So, no great loss, just recruit! There is some really good young QB talent that wants to come and play at UF.
He was in fourth place on the depth chart and I guess he did not want to redshirt. I would imagine early enrolees don’t skip the spring of their senior year to sit out for 1.5 years. He is obviously disappointed but it sounds like he earned fourth spot fair and square. I guess he would rather sit out a full year at another school than redshirt at UF where he would be behind Emory (probably) for two additional years (beyond the redshirt). Good luck Jalon Jones, this is just too bad. I think it’s fair to say he is entitled, and I really doubt it’s justified. What did he expect? He got beat out by more experienced and polished players. Maybe if he stuck around he could move up the depth chart but now he (and we) will never know. There was speculation from some media people that Trask would transfer; no one thought it would be Jones instead. A disappointment for us all.
WTH?? This has to be something he did. I can’t imagine he thought he would be starting this year. If he transfers he still has to sit out a year unless there are some special circumstances. The only thing is E Jones will probably play 4 or 5 years for us since Franks will probably still be here next year. That would mean J Jones would be sitting for the next 3 to 4 years kind of like K Trask as a life time back up. So I can’t figure it out but I know he was all Gator from his commitment until today.
I blame Trevor Lawrence for some of this as I see freshman quarterbacks transferring all over. I think his insane and rare, even historic year has all these kids thinking they can do the same thing __ beat out an established starter and win a national title. They don,t realize it really is rare and not reasonable because they are so young. So, when it doesn t happen they overreact. Just a thought.
You raise an interesting point Jaws …. the “freshman phenom effect”. When a generational talent like Trevor Lawrence has that kind of instant success, or even the successes of Tua or Fromm, it makes every hotshot high school QB think that is his path too. Obviously these guys are the exception and not the rule….. or at least that’s the way it used to be.
If I was a young stud QB (but I had the maturity, knowledge, and experience of a 50 year old) I’d choose my University based on Academics and Quality of Coaching, first and foremost. Those are the things that would prepare me for LIFE. Everything else, a chance to play as a freshman, campus location, coaching relationships, TV exposure, etc. would all be secondary to me. But it seems in 2019 the decisions are more about instant success and fame, the bling of TV and waterslides in the football complex, coaching relationships that come and go. Whatever happened to patience and waiting your turn and thoroughly preparing yourself and your craft for the long haul of life?
One other thing …. looking at the case of Jon Bostic reminds us that an NFL career for many, these days, is short lived. So, many of these kids are focusing 100% on football starting in middle school right up through the NFL draft and now many are getting at most, 6-7 years in the league. 6-7 years is plenty of time to make a nice pile of cash that can get you through life….IF you saved some of it. But I’d guess that many don’t, so education somehow needs to be more of an emphasis…but it just isn’t.
That’s the problem, these kids aren’t thinking with the maturity, knowledge, and experience of a 50 year old. These are immature kids that have grown up in the social media world where immediate fame and exposure is craved more than anything. I think most of us wish we could’ve thought at that maturity level when we were that age, but just imagine what it would’ve been like had we grown up in today’s world. Instant fame is much more attainable.
Or infamy Joe. There does seem to be something that everything or everyone now days and not just youth wants stardom or notoriety even if it is not good. Using the Clemson freshman as an example. He’s had one good year and will likely have another. But let’s say for the sake of argument he tanks. Hero to zero. Does he then fade to obscurity as a one hit wonder? I don’t think that is the case but the sports world is full of top athletes that were great one moment and not the next. I agree with posters in this thread about earning the spot or seizing the moment given the opportunity, carpe diem. I watched tape on J Jones and he has potential but was raw. As to maturity…. as we make mistakes and learn from them we gain the knowledge from those experiences that a 18 year old cannot begin to have. I hope he finds what he is looking for but the laws of math say there are only so many places to land and there is an endless supply of talent wanting one of those places. Competing is what makes us better. Even the Clemson QB could be supplanted if there was another QB behind him that is better (not likely but not impossible).
Rog: If they NFLPA is correct, your 6-7 years is about twice the average length of an NFL career. which makes your point about getting prepared for LIFE, even more salient.
Right. Every kid thinks they are going to be the next superstar, but the reality for most is they won’t make the NFL. Meanwhile, the average career for players who do make an NFL roster is 3.3 years. It only makes sense to prioritize many factors as you mention in the decision. Most kids just aren’t there yet and have to learn stuff the hard way.
Jaws, it’s just not right to blame Trevor Lawrence for this debacle with JJ or anyone else and I’m very disappointed in you. You’re too smart not to realize that the fault lies with Donald Trump, and if not him, then George Bush before him. Come on man, get with the program! 😜
You’re onto something there Jaws. No doubt the instant success of Trevor, Tua and Jake have established unrealistic expectations in some hotshot high school QBs.
Still, they have to perform vs. spring competition to have a shot in the summer and fall. Clearly, this kid failed that test.
The question his quitting leaves is did he have trouble getting along with his coaches? Criticism is hard to take for those with a very high opinion of themselves.
I guess we may never know what triggered him to take this action.
If they looked more closely at those situations they would see that Fromm only started as a true freshman because the incumbent starter got hurt. Tua never started as a freshman but only came in the final quarter because Hurts had struggled so much. Trevor was a once in a lifetime freak who beat out a QB who had taken Clemson to the CFP, and the other thing kids should remember is that Clemson was loaded with talent. Trevor could not– and no one could– do the things he did without a great team around him. The reality for most is that they are better off taking their time.
That sort of critical thinking would require some of these divas to get their heads out of their rear ends and use their brains for a change. That’s much too hard in this age of instant gratification.
Perhaps, Jalon took a hard look at where he stood in his competition vs. Emory after spring practice and decided he was NEVER going to beat him out. He also didn’t want to wait 2 or 3 years for Emory to move on. So, he was left with only one viable option and he took it… with CDM’s approval.
After all, CDM has to show other divas he’s recruiting that they’ll get a fair shot in practice and an open door to leave if thing don’t work out to their liking.
It’s a different era in CFB.
Once upon a time, back when COMMUNISM was falling all over Eastern Europe, a Florida Q.B. by the name of Shane Matthews was WAY DOWN on the U.F. Football depth chart. He ended up tearing up the SEC’s 3 yards and a cloud of dust, by passing the ball at record levels at the time. Coach Spurrier and that team went on to win Florida Football’s 1st ”official” SEC Football Championship in ’91. I know J. Jones was no Shane throwing the ball, but the lesson is still the same. Hang in there, give it all you got, and you never know what the future holds. Shane now works with local sports talk guru, Steve Russell, on 98.1 FM. Best wishes to J. Jones, but I will gladly take Felipe and Emory & Trask as back-ups for now. I think the rest of this Gator Football team will too. Go Gators!
Jalon…I hope there is more to it than just packing ship after Spring ball, year one? Regardless…good luck young fella, but the BEST of them have sat behind others, or fate stepped in for early play. See some of these these posts for examples like Shane Matthews, who was in some trouble and buried in the depth chart only to be an SEC great. What about Kerwin Bell, the walk on thrust into action against the defending champs Miami in 84 and never looked back?
Everyone that has inside information on this says it was a mutual decision with the coaching staff that hevtransfer
*he transfer.
Sounds like off field issues got the best of him. It happens…time to work harder on recruiting the future starting qb.
I confess with the headline i thought it was trask leaving, and im still scared he will go after he graduates in a few weeks. FSU needs a qb badly, forgive me for thinking it.
Being a gator qb, imo, is sort of like working for the old testament God. Tough taskmaster, not a lot of concern for your individual ego, you have to believe and prove to the almighty that you are right for the task. the greats, spurrier, gaffney, hesko/pierce, bell, wuerrfel, matthews, tebow, leak, id add rex and even doug johnson, and schottenheimer in a different way all had to endure more old testament treatment from the world that any fan can imagine. now i know there are other religions, and of course the new testament that is a little kinder, but no one that is not really really really something makes it here. doesnt make jones a bad guy, i wish him well. remember that even today franks has doubters, this job is not a picnic, but i thank those that will do it.
I’m more inclined to believe Trask isn’t going anywhere. I’d be willing to bet after going on 9 years of being a backup, that he knows his future isn’t as a player and probably has his sights on becoming a coach one day, or he’s just in it for a free education to go on and be successful in the business world. I would think if he had NFL aspirations, he would’ve been gone by now.
This may be a little “off the wall”, Joe, but I’ve always viewed Trask as similar to the late Gator great, Larry Libatore……except of course that the latter did have some unique skill sets despite, obvious physical limitations, that got him playing time in that era. His main competition was Bobby Dodd Jr, probably one of the better Gator QBs of the time before Steve Spurrier hit the stage, but probably had SOS come on the scene two or three years earlier……well, we wouldn’t have seen much of him and probably wouldn’t remember him so fondly. Either way, Libatore took full advantage of his education both at UF and being coached by the legendary Ray Graves, and became an extraordinary businessman and citizen of Lakeland. So yup, this here Gator thinks you’re spot on about Trask — either as a coach or businessman, we’ll no doubt hear about him down the road. And THAT, my friend, is true patience…..too bad it’s not contagious!
Not only “patience” 6, but also the foresight and reality check that football won’t sustain most of these kids forever, if even a day after college. Take advantage of being at UF, a great academic school, and plan for life after football. Take advantage of being around a GREAT coaching staff and plan for life after football. IF an NFL career happens, GREAT, but in any given year about 5 guys will leave the program and make an NFL career, if even for only a couple of years. That leaves about 15 kids in each recruiting class who better have a plan B.
The good news is that now it is certain Trask will not transfer. This cannot be about depth chart.
Even this kid should see the benefit of redshirting under CDM for one year and then transferring if necessary. Got to be something else.
You certainly didn’t do your homework on Mullen if you believed you’d come in and start right away as a true freshman. There’s definitely more to this than playing time.
Hey maybe he wants to go to Central Michigan!!!!
Don’t read too much into the “mutual decision” thing. That’s a coach taking the high ground and saying “we want what he feels is best for him”. And if it is a problem that requires disciplinary action and the kid was deaf , dumb and blind to the kind of penance Scarlett paid and its value to him and the team, then it should be a mutual decision that he go elsewhere. Patience is a virtue. It is often an acquired taste. Kids don’t generally have it, much less this “right now” generation. It’s our fault. We spoiled them. Cell phones give you instant info.Right now. Someone mentioned fake news. Fake news exists bc of our need for an answer or action NOW. We can’t wait, so we cut corners by giving more opinion than fact. How many times have we read a headline that was disproportionate to the substance of the article? The need for speed gets people home faster, if they make it home alive. Jalon sees himself differently than he realistically should. Becoming a great QB is a process.And these kids abhor the word “process”. Welcome to the age of free agency in college football. Pretty soon the new recruiting violation of the day will be coaches of opposing teams recruiting the player who just killed them by offering them something better. The transfer portal might as well be called the Market.
I would look at his transferring at another angle. Just turned 58, I am the TV generation, having three channels to choose from. It was a rare and explosively exciting thing when your team got TV coverage, and it showed up in nerves, from individual players to affecting the entire team. Hence the word CHOKE. The Jalon Jones generation has been on TV since Pop Warner: TV, Internet and all the social media outlets (not to mention print journalism) put these kids in the limelight from birth. Look at the Little League World Series. Maybe Jones couldn’t stand the thought of not being in the midst of the battle and seen in all the media outlets. So he makes headlines and gets all this attention by transferring and depending on where he goes, gets right back into the spotlight, good or bad. But he expects good and wasn’t getting it quickly enough and was afraid of disappearing.
SHP oh the days of NBC,CBS and ABC and nothing else. With TV going off air after Carson, going to the test pattern and then the static of snow, coming back on at 5:00am to fill us in on what we missed overnight or the day before. HOW DID WE SURVIVE!!! Some of my friends had cable earlier and they had some independent stations that where on 24/7 but the most memorable one overnight was out of Tampa and had Creature Feature with Elvira. Not at our house. Network only on the ole aerial antenna and we lived in the sticks so sometimes those were sketchy.
When I went to Westwood Middle School, we would come home to the test pattern waiting for “I Love Lucy” and “Gilligan’s Island” at 4 pm. And then there was Country Boy Cliff Walden’s Dialing for Dollars. Had a friend who loved to call Cliff when he was stoned as a coot, as my friend always said. I may still be in love with Elvira. If I knew what a drone was back then, I would want her to hover over me until her batteries failed and she would have to fall on my landing strip! God I am hopeless. But YAY TV!
God knows, Phil — but for nostalgia like that, life would be meaningless today! 😎😎
Looks like your memory is better than mine. I remember that now about Lucy and Gilligan. We got ABC from Gainesville. Neighbor had cable (we lived too far off the road and they said it wouldn’t work at our house.) He had Elvira sometimes I would stop on the way home from the bus stop. Forgot about Country Boy’s show too.
when country boy cliff walden aired the “ruggles of red gap”, about 1972, in our house that is still one of the funniest things ever, its still an inside joke to tell someone your going to the art museum or youve got them outnumbered! ive made more than a few people watch my copy of it since, just a great moment. drove through the back woods there recently and waldron farms is still on the way to rodman dam!
this time of year any news out of gainesville is either crazy or bad or both. im staying out of this one, glad you guys changed the topic.
and btw, skeeter still needs the money i bet. i did find and order an asher special at lenny’s in clearwater, they even paid homage to skeeter but the plates are a lot smaller
Probably some personal issues probably at play in his decision. Maybe he’s homesick, parents can’t go to his games,etc.. It’s quite a haul to VA from The Swamp. Transferring to UVA, VA Tech or one of the NC schools wouldn’t surprise me. Or maybe Addazio will bring him into BC. 🙂 Also, I’m sure the depth chart has a lot to do with it. There should be a lot of schools that would sign him if he’s as good as advertised.