2014 Chicago offensive lineman Jamarco Jones made the trip down to South Bend on Saturday with his De La Salle Institute classmate and teammate, 2014 quarterback Shelby Spence.
“It was very nice,” the 6-foot-5, 295-pound sophomore said. “I liked it a lot. I really like it. I think it’s a great place.”
While Spence has been to Notre Dame several times as both of his parents graduated from the university, it was Jones’ first trip to South Bend.
“I liked the fans,” he said. “It seemed like a very family-oriented place with kids running around the place. It just seemed like a family-oriented place where everybody was welcoming.”
He had the chance to talk with several Notre Dame assistants.
“I met almost all of the coaches because it was my first time coming down,” he said. “They were just asking me a few questions about high school and my size and coming back down to camp.”
Returning in the summer is definitely in the cards for Jones.
“I plan on coming to their Linemen Camp,” he said.
Jones also enjoyed watching the spring scrimmage.
“It was a great game,” he said. “You could see the teams compete even though they were going against each other.”
He had the chance to talk with a few of the other recruits on campus, including some 2012 signees and 2013 commits. They gave Jones advice about continuing to work hard on and off the field.
Jones has yet to land his first offer, but is receiving interest from several Big Ten schools, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. He’s planning to use the next few months to prepare for the fall.
“This summer, I’m going to be going to a lot of camps and then get ready for the season,” he said.
He might not do much more with recruiting until his junior season is finished, but he knows that will be a critical period of his recruitment.
“After the season is over, I want to visit a lot more colleges because it’s my junior year and it’s an important time,” he said.
Either way, Jones definitely plans to stay in touch with the Irish staff.
