Micah Jones started playing football around the age of eight or nine and his decision to keep at it and work hard to get where he is now, has led him on a path to representing his hometown of Gurnee, Illinois very well moving forward.
“I was born in Round Lake, Illinois. When I was [a year old], I then moved to California and I was there until I was like four and then I moved back to Gurnee so I’ve been here since I was four or five years old,” Jones said. “It has been a great time for me just making friends and I have made lifelong friends that I’ll always talk to and always get along with. Everybody’s really very nice here, the community is great and everybody shows up for the football games. The atmosphere is great for me and for football so all the way around it’s a pretty good community.”
Micah Jones is grateful to his dad, Mark Jones, for showing him the way of life, football and how to do everything possible to stay out of trouble and be a good student in the classroom.
“The kid is a Freak of nature. A kid that big (nearly 6’5″ and 200 lbs) and athletic at such a young age does not come around that often. His base sports were karate (balance) and soccer (footwork). He’s a pretty quiet and confident kid that likes to compete. My goal was to expose him to top competition early. Then get him the training needed for him to excel. He’s already an academic qualifier at 95 percent of schools,” Mark Jones said.
Micah Jones wants to major in sports management as an undergraduate student and after he is done with football, he said, going back to school to get a master’s degree in sports medicine is an option he will consider.
On the football field, Micah Jones is a four-star wide receiver in the 2018 recruiting class, the 47th best wide receiver and second best player in Illinois according to the 247Sports Composite. As a sophomore for the Warren Township High School (Ill.) Blue Devils, he started every game and recorded 25 catches for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns.
He has gone to “The Opening,” in Chicago and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s “Irish Invasion,” football camp and here is what some recruiting analysts had to say about his performance at those events. This information below was provided by Mark Jones.
From 247sport recruiting analyst – 2016 Irish Invasion
Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township four-star wide receiver Micah Jones is a blue-chip prospect. Jones has size, speed, strength, and explosiveness. Jones gave defensive backs fits all night at Irish Invasion. No one could match up with his size and strength. It almost was not fair. He was aggressive running routes, and in a one v. one setting, getting rerouted was never a concern. Jones used his prime time size to manhandle the smaller defensive backs. He showcased a number of short to immediate routes, as well as several down the field back shoulder or high pointed fade balls.
From 247Sports recruiting analyst – Micah’s “The Opening,” performance
Micah Jones — The Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township four-star wide receiver had a very good day. Only a class of 2018 recruit, he flashed as one of the most talented wide receivers at the camp. His 6-4, 190-pound frame stands out initially, but then as you continue to watch him, you see a player that can run well, catches the ball away from his body and has a quickness to him that allows him to gain separation.
From 247sport recruiting analyst – Micah’s “The Opening,” performance
“WR Micah Jones — The Gurnee (Ill.) Warren Township class of 2018 wide receiver looks like he should be in college already. He has the physical tools and body that will make him a force during his next two years of high school. On Monday, Jones showed off his catch radius, ability to snatch the ball out of the air with ease, and smooth route-running.”
From Rivals.com recruiting analyst – Micah’s “The Opening,” performance
“WR/TE Micah Jones Warren Township (soph) – Jones has a chance to become the next potential 5 star in Illinois in the Class of 2018. I might be crazy but the more I see Micah in person the more I think maybe he has the frame/size to develop into say an elite level DE? Regardless, this kid’s a stud and a half.”
In addition to participating in those showcases, he was selected to the Youth1 and National Prep Football Association Top 100 as an eighth grader, selected to participate in the NUC U100 Regional/National Top Prospect Camp twice (2013, 2014) and was a three-time All-American selection (Won NUC’s Offensive Player of the Year – 2013, Adidas Army Freshman All American game participant – 2014 and named to the CBS Sports/Max Preps Freshman All American Team – 2014).
He has received 10 scholarship offers from these programs: Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, Syracuse, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Central Michigan, and Bowling Green. He released a top five list of schools back in late June and Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Iowa made the cut.
“Really, it was the family atmosphere I got from each of those programs. The atmosphere with the coaches, the players, the fans and everything there makes it feel like a whole family. Also, it’s great to have those be top academic schools as well so that’s really one thing I’m looking for,” Micah Jones said.
He plans to make his commitment decision in the spring of 2017, going into his senior year so he doesn’t have to worry about it later on.
He said the recruiting process has been crazy for him but it hasn’t really even started. September 1 he will be able to receive calls, texts, social media messages from coaches and not just one-sided communication after that date. He’s ready for it, he said.
“The toughest thing I’ve had to overcome is just the people talking to me and in my ear all the time. I can’t really listen to the people talking and what they think because some people are going to tell you what they [want] or what can advance their mind or their ideas,” Micah Jones said. “I want to stay with people that are going to tell me things that I can work on and tell me things I can get better at and not just blowing smoke up my butt about how good I am. I want to sit with people that are going to criticize me but tell me what I’m doing well. So it’s really [about] managing everybody that’s talking to you.”
Micah Jones believes he is most effective catching the football on pivotal downs, third down or fourth and long. Because of his size, he’s also an effective red zone target and believes he can use skills to help his team at any point in the game.
He mentioned that the best parts of his game are his footwork which allows him to get in and out of breaks faster and spate from defensive backs that are smaller and quicker than he is and high pointing the ball. He feels like he can work on everything to be the best football player and wide receiver he can be.
Micah Jones definitely is not a finished product but he is showing signs that he can be a stud at the next level already. As an upperclassman, he can only grow and keep growing. Whichever football program gets him, they’re offense is going to see a major boost with him on the field.