GAINESVILLE, Fla. – As a quarterback, Jalen Jones is accustomed to adjusting on the move.
He spent time at multiple schools during his prep career, finishing at Henrico High in Richmond, Va. Once the ball was snapped, as a classic dual-threat player, Jones had the freedom and ability to run or pass.
He did both well, first gaining the attention of Gators head coach
Dan Mullen when Mullen was at Mississippi State. After Mullen took over the Gators, Jones remained a primary target and signed with the Gators in December.
He arrived on campus earlier this month as one of nine mid-year enrollees.
During a recent conversation in the locker room, Jones seemed very comfortable in his new surroundings. When one of his new teammates would walk by and rib Jones, he ribbed them right back.
Jones visited UF more than once over the past year and knew this is where he wanted to go to college. If he doesn't act like a typical freshman, that's the way he prefers it.
"I mean, I'm mature. [Change] is part of life," Jones said. "You've got to keep on moving. You've got to take it one step at a time so nothing gets too big or too small."
That outlook should serve Jones well as he prepares for his first spring camp at a position that includes starter
Feleipe Franks, fourth-year junior
Kyle Trask and redshirt freshman
Emory Jones. He is used to competition.
Jones grew up in an athletic family. His father, former Colorado linebacker Michael Jones, was a captain on the Buffs' 1990 national championship team. Tanya Hughes, his mother, competed in the high jump at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, and his sister, Jocelyn Jones, is a basketball player at the University of North Carolina.
In our series introducing the Gators' newcomers on
FloridaGators.com, we caught up with Jones recently for a Q&A:
Q: What football-related activities are you doing right now besides working out?
A: I watch film with GA [graduate assistant] Dean [Kennedy]. I've done a lot of stuff with him. We go over stuff every day or every other day, about four or five times a week just getting the playbook down.
Q: How has the transition to college been for you?
A: It's been interesting just getting into the new schedule, new living environment, and the new surroundings. Getting the schedule put in place and keeping track of everything is the main thing.
Freshman quarterback Jalon Jones
Q: Did you know many guys on the team before you got here?
A: Yeah, I've been down here a bunch of times. Having people I can talk to, that's the main thing.
Q: What would be a good first spring for you?
A: Getting all my classes good. I want to have a 3.5 GPA. That's a good spring for me.
Q: What about in relation to football?
A: Mostly get straight with academics, then everything takes care of itself I believe. I'm a student-athlete.
Q: What's the biggest adjustment for you in the offseason workouts under Coach Savage?
A: It's more efficient. He gets us right in a short amount of time. He knows what he is doing so there is no guessing. He knows this specific lift is going to get this outcome. It's a smarter lift. You're exerting yourself, but you are exerting yourself in specific way.
Q: What's your toughest class this semester?
A: Macroeconomics.
Q: What is something most people don't know about you?
A: I'm a swimmer. That's my hidden passion. I've never really competed at it, but if I could, I would be swimmer.
Q: Have you taken a dip in the pool since you have been here?
A: Not yet. I will eventually. My schedule has just been too hectic. I'm going to be doing that soon.
Q: Your best day on a football field?
A: That is tough. I'd probably say sometime in little league because that's still when my dad coached me. I have a lot of good memories of that.
