Cal Football: 4* DB RJ Jones Starts the Cal 2023 Recruiting Class
Punctuating his Video with E-40's Yay Area
With the NSD two days ago, the 2023 Class begins with a bang with a consensus 4* DB out of St. John Bosco in the OC. RJ Jones holds offers from 20 D1 programs including Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Michigan State, and BYU (8 of the Pac-12 programs).
He’s ranked as the 207th top recruit, 19th safety, and 18th best recruit out of CA per 247. His ranking in those categories is the same on Rivals.
His Junior Season tape can be seen here.
Something worth noting is that the Wilcox/Aranda scheme puts a ton of responsibilities on a safety, from man-matching on Cover-4 looks to spill run responsibilities in the run game. But when played effectively it produces #TAKERS. Bringing in a blue-chip talent like him into the fold is a huge win for the program and defensive backfield.
It doesn’t hurt that the Cal defense has produced 3 NFL safeties (Ashtyn Davis [Jets], Jaylinn Hawkins [Falcons], and Cam Bynum [Vikings]) which projects future players in the position well, especially guys with a high recruiting profile and know who E-40 is.
Some more color from 247:
“I kept thinking, why wait when I know Cal is the best place for me,” Jones said. “I knew what I wanted and like I said, Cal checked it all off for me. Plus I wanted to commit early so I can start recruiting and building this class up. “I want to be an active recruiter and there’s a lot of guys on my teams, both Bosco and Premium (7v7) that I want to bring with me and make this class really special. I’m actually super excited about that. I’m really happy with my decision, there’s a sense of relief there for sure and I can’t wait to get going.”
Go Bears!
Great pickup and love his process/reasoning. He'll be a huge asset on and off the field!
I like that he's ranked a 4* on both 247 and Rivals. More evidence that he's a legitimate blue chip.