2028 DE Arthur Jones Hearing From Notre Dame, Partridge Every Day
Arthur Jones spent part of his summer in Arizona training with his uncle, former NFL defensive end Chandler Jones, and the 2028 New York defensive end says that work has absolutely paid off this fall.
"Just having a plan to attack the line and just being able to come off the ball violently with a plan," Jones told Irish Sports Daily.
Working out with somebody who spent a decade rushing passers in the NFL reinforced a standard Jones has carried into the season.
"It's helped me understand you're never your best until you get there," Jones said this summer.
The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder holds offers from Notre Dame, Penn State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, UCLA, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Kentucky among others.
He first met Notre Dame defensive line coach Charlie Partridge when he visited South Bend for the Blue-Gold Game in April, with a mutual connection helping the relationship along, as his former high school defensive line coach is friends with Partridge. The contact has not slowed since with Partridge communicating with Jones every day.
"Just giving me words of encouragement and just making sure I'm always in his mind," Jones said. "It's phenomenal. Just having such a high program just care for me.
"He's just an explosive man. He truly cares. He's a true ball player and just everything he'll send me, he'll show me practice clips and they show up in game. So he's just a man of his word."
Christian Brothers Academy stepped up its competition this season and Jones has welcomed the change.
"Being able to play harder opponents instead of playing just the public local schools around us and being able to play true-sized recruited players and go against them and getting that feeling early," Jones said.
The team took a couple of tough losses early, but Jones believes they served a purpose.
"We had a couple tough losses in the start, but that just helped us grow and rebuild," Jones said.
He has visited Syracuse, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Nebraska this fall. Nebraska impressed him earlier this month and wants him back in the spring, but he does not have other visits planned at the moment.
He doesn’t plan to get back to South Bend this fall either. Instead, he will be in the house when the Irish come to Syracuse next month and he intends to return in March or the spring to see a practice, get a feel for a day in the life of a Notre Dame player and see how the players balance academics and athletics.
Jones expects to narrow his list after the postseason and relationships will drive the decision, as they have throughout his process.
Asked whether Notre Dame would make the list, he did not hesitate.
"Of course."
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