Felix Jones having monster year for Booker T.
One of Arkansas’ prime targets for the 2005 offensive backfield is Tulsa Booker T. Washington running back Felix Jones, and he is making his case for player of the year honors among the Oklahoma prep ranks.
Jones, 5-foot-11, 197 pounds, has run the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. He has a 255-pound bench press max and a 550-pound squat. He has also leaped 39 inches in the vertical jump.
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Jones was considered somewhat of a sleeper in the preseason, but he was rated the No. 9 prospect in the state by Rivals.com in the Preseason Oklahoma Top 15, anyway. Jones’ play has him making a bid for that No. 1 spot.
The Hornets are off to a 6-0 start in Oklahoma’s largest classification. In Friday night’s 34-26 homecoming win against Coweta, Jones rushed for 217 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 14 carries (15.5 ypc). He has 19 total touchdowns on the year, an average of 3.2 per outing.
As far as recruiting, Jones is open to all suitors, and there are plenty. Texas A&M, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Nebraska are showing the most interest in Jones with letters and phone calls. Tulsa watched him play Friday night, and Texas A&M is the only school to have offered so far. Jones should receive several more offers in the near future.
Jones has scored 17 on the ACT and is trying to get his GPA back to 3.0 after a slightly disappointing last semester. The coaches he talks to have been stressing academics with him, especially the coaches from Oklahoma State.
“We talk about keeping the grades up and making sure I get the ACT score better and just finishing out the season strong,” Jones said of the OSU coaches, “I like the way they run the ball a lot, and it’s still in Oklahoma, so I like that too. I have some family members that go there too, and they say they like it.”
Arkansas is also showing Jones a lot of interest, and the Razorbacks have been in the mix since the beginning. Booker T. Washington produced Arkansas freshman defensive end Michael Tate last season.
“One of my teammates last year, Michael Tate, he told me a lot about it. He says they run the ball, and he said I need to be down there having fun because he has fun. I’ve never been down there, so I’m just going off what he’s told me.”
Right now, Jones is thinking about going to Arkansas and other schools for official visits. Likely, he will take all his official visits after the playoffs the way Booker T. is tearing up opponents. He has already set one for Texas A&M.
“They have a lot of tradition, and it’s a good school. I went to the NIKE Camp there, and I liked that school,” he said.
Booker T. hosts McAlester this week. Rivals.com’s October rankings will be out soon, as well. Look for Jones to move up the charts.
“He is the real deal, no doubt about it,” Washington Coach Antwain Jimmerson said.
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