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Julio Jones

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Template:Infobox CollegeFootballPlayer</ref> | highschool = Foley High School
Foley, Alabama | pastschools =

|cbs = 1623794 |espn = 379062 |rivals = 402244 }} Quintorris Lopez "Julio" Jones (born February 3, 1989)[1][2] is an American football wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Jones was rated as one of the top high school receivers in the country. He and fellow-receiver A.J. Green led a 2008 NCAA recruiting class that is dubbed as being the class that brings back the tall, physical receiver.[3] Jones draws comparisons to Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.[4] During his sophomore season with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2009 he helped lead the Tide to an undefeated 14-0 season including a victory in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.[5]

High school career

Jones played his high school career at Foley High School in Foley, Alabama, maintaining a 3.5 GPA. He completed his senior football season in the fall of 2007. Julio participated in the High School Under Armour All-America Game, where he was recorded at 6 ft 4 in and 218 lbs.

During his high school career, Julio Jones' dominating play and rare physical attributes quickly identified him as a special athlete. At the Baton Rouge Nike camp in May 2007, Jones ran a 4.45 40 yard dash, an event-best 38.6-inch vertical jump and was recorded at 6'4", 215 pounds. He once ran a 4.38, 40 yard dash when clocked at Foley High School.

The buzz surrounding Jones began to swell to NFL proportions. Sports Illustrated likened him to wide receiver Terrell Owens, saying he was, "a big, physical wideout with great strength, amazing jumping ability and uncanny speed for such a big player."[3] ESPN.com compared to him to another NFL great, saying, "This guy is a unique, rare prospect for the wide receiver position with his supreme blend of size, power, speed and agility. He reminds us of a high school version of Michael Irvin, but at this stage Jones is more explosive and faster."[6]

Entering February 2008, Julio Jones was one of the most highly rated and sought after high school football recruits in the country, having been awarded a 5 star rating (the maximum) by national recruiting outlets Rivals.com[7] and Scout.com.[8] Overall, Jones was nationally ranked as the #2 overall prep prospect by ESPN[9] and #4 overall by Rivals.com,[10] being the top-ranked receiver by both.

Recruitment

Being one of the top prep players in the country, many college teams sought Jones's signature on a National Letter of Intent. As the recruiting process started to wind down, he narrowed down his possibilities to five schools: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech.[11] On February 6, 2008, Jones ended months of recruiting, committing to the Alabama Crimson Tide on National Signing Day,[11] as he announced his decision live on ESPNU.

College career

Freshman

In the opening game of the 2008 season, Jones became the first true freshman receiver to start in a season opener for the Crimson Tide,[12] as he started against the Clemson Tigers in the 2008 Chick-fil-A College Kickoff. In the game, Jones caught four passes for 28 yards and a touchdown in a 34–10 rout.[13] In a 41–30 win over the #3 ranked Georgia Bulldogs, Jones had a breakout performance as he caught five passes for 94 yards, including a 22–yard touchdown reception from John Parker Wilson.[14][15] His first 100–yard receiving game occurred in the annual rivalry game versus Tennessee, as Jones had six receptions for 103 yards en route to a 29–9 victory.[16] However, two weeks later versus #16 LSU, Jones topped his previous performance with 7 catches for 128 yards.[17] His 23–yard reception in overtime set up a game-winning touchdown by John Parker Wilson,[18] giving Alabama a 27–21 victory.[19] In the 2008 SEC Championship Game, Jones caught five passes for 124 yards versus a talented Florida Gators secondary.[20] In the first quarter, Jones caught a 64–yard pass which set up the Crimson Tide's first score of the game.[21] However, Alabama fell to #2 Florida 31–20, giving the Crimson Tide their first loss of the year.[22]

On December 8, the Southeastern Conference announced the annual All-SEC first team, second team, and individual awards, as voted by the Associated Press. Jones was named to the second team All-SEC, SEC Freshman of the Year,[23] and the SEC Coaches' All-Freshman Team.[24] Known as "The Ocho" and "The Chosen One", Jones finished the regular season with 58 receptions, 924 yards, and four touchdowns.[25]

Sophomore

Preceding the 2009 football season, Julio Jones was voted to the All-SEC Coaches' Football Team (first team), one of only four players to be voted such unanimously (along with Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Tennessee safety Eric Berry and LSU offensive lineman Ciron Black).[26]

Although suffering what some called a "sophomore slump" statistically, Jones was still the leading receiver on an Alabama team that would finish 14-0 and win the BCS National Championship game over the Texas Longhorns.[27]

Career statistics

Receiving
Season GP–GS No. Yards Avg TD Long Avg/G
2008 14–14 58 924 15.9 4 64 66.0
2009 13–13 43 596 13.9 4 73 45.8
2010 1-1 6 93 93.0 1 29 29.0
Total 27–27 101 1520 15.0 8 73 56.3
Rushing
Season GP–GS Att Yards Avg TD Long Avg/G
2008 14–14 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
2009 13–13 2 4 2.0 0 5 0.3
Total 27–27 2 4 2.0 0 5 0.1
Returns
Year Punt Returns Kickoff Returns
No. Yds Avg TD Long No. Yds Avg TD Long
2008 2 11 5.5 0 10 1 21 21.0 0 21
2009 5 75 15.0 0 33 1 12 12.0 0 12
Total 7 86 12.3 0 33 2 33 16.5 0 21

References

  1. ^ "Julio Jones has many abilities". Scout.com. 2007-12-27. Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  2. ^ Estes, Gentry (2009-11-01). "Who exactly is Crimson Tide star Quintorris Jones?". Mobile-Press Register. AL.com. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  3. ^ a b "Size matters: Big, fast wide receivers headline the Class of 2008". Sports Illustrated. 2007-05-23. Retrieved 2008-09-10. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ McCarter, Mark (November 28, 2008). "Jones' production has matched hype". The Huntsville Times. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ "Alabama sidesteps Texas' charge to emerge with BCS title", USA Today, January 7, 2010
  6. ^ "Julio Jones Rankings, Grade, News, Stats". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  7. ^ "Alabama Commit List for 2008". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  8. ^ "Football Recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  9. ^ "College Football Recruiting Prospects 2008". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  10. ^ "Prospect Rankings". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  11. ^ a b Watts, Tim (2008-02-06). "Jones chooses UA". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  12. ^ Stephenson, Creg (2008-08-23). "Top freshman receivers rare in Tide history". Crimson Confidential. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  13. ^ "Alabama vs Clemson (Aug 30, 2008)". University of Alabama Athletics. 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  14. ^ "Alabama vs Georgia (Sep 27, 2008)". University of Alabama Athletics. 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  15. ^ Latta, Scott (2008-09-27). "No. 8 Alabama Beats No. 3 Georgia, 41-30". University of Alabama Athletics. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  16. ^ "Alabama vs Tennessee (Oct 25, 2008)". University of Alabama Athletics. 2008-10-25. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  17. ^ "Alabama vs LSU (Nov 8, 2008)". University of Alabama Athletics. 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  18. ^ "Alabama Crimson Tide vs. LSU Tigers Play-by-Play - OT". ESPN. 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  19. ^ "Saban makes victorious return to Tiger Stadium as Bama stays unbeaten". Associated Press. 2008-11-08. Retrieved 2008-12-0. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ "Alabama vs Florida (Dec 6, 2008)". University of Alabama Athletics. 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  21. ^ "Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida Gators Play-by-Play - 1st Qtr". ESPN. 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  22. ^ Newberry, Paul (2008-12-06). "No. 2 Fla. stuns No. 1 'Bama 31-20 for SEC title". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2008-AP-Awards was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference Freshman-SEC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ "Julio Jones". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-09.
  26. ^ "SEC Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team Announced". SECSports.com. 2009-07-16. Retrieved 2009-07-16. [dead link]
  27. ^ http://espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=379062

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