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Notre Dame Football Recruiting

Film Don't Lie: OT Luke Jones

February 5, 2017
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It didn’t seem likely that a commitment would come from any of Notre Dame’s remaining prospects any time soon. Offensive tackle Luke Jones must have figured there was no reason to wait longer than he needed to after he came to realization that his new home would be in South Bend less than a week after the early signing period.

Jones is likely a future offensive tackle for the Irish, but could be a swing candidate at guard as well. In terms of his ranking and how I have graded him right now, he is not an elite prospect. However, in an offensive line class that is not deep on quality or quantity, he is a good player to have onboard that can develop into a starter if he puts in the work to be elite at the next level.

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 290

Projected Position: Offensive Tackle

ISD Grade: 87 (3 star)

National Average Grade: 88 (3 star)

What he does best:

The first thing sticks out about Jones is his mobility. There just aren’t many big men who can get out in space and block like he can. That’s evident with him on screens where he was able to make critical blocks down the field on linebackers and defensive backs like he did here during his junior season.

via GIPHY

That mobility is so important in the scheme Chip Long is employing right now as well. Screens were a bigger part of Memphis’ offense and could be in the future for Notre Dame, but his ability to pull and locate defenders in space is outstanding. He isn’t just a one-hitter when he gets out there either.

He works to get body position and finish like on this pin and pull concept where he picks up the safety.

via GIPHY

What is really exciting about him as a prospect is his ability in pass protection. He does a nice job with his punch and uses his length fairly well. His footwork needs to be cleaned up a bit, but he has light feet and shows really good balance. Jones handles the spin well here is never lunging.

via GIPHY

This long sequence of him sustaining for what feels like an eternity is about as good as it gets.

via GIPHY

He plays with great effort and if he continues to with his raw tools, he has a chance to be great in pass protection.

What he needs to improve:

Jones isn’t shy about finishing his blocks as you can see here from his junior film. There are definitely some good flashes of him doing so.

via GIPHY

I’d like to see him play consistently meaner. I want to see more finish from him. That is part of what I would like to see him improve as a run blocker, but the biggest thing with him is that he needs to get stronger at the point of attack. And although he moves well and can block at the second level, I don’t see the kind of hip snap on contact that he’ll need to move people off the ball the college level. That’s a big reason why he isn’t a 4 star prospect despite his athletic upside.

That functional strength and explosion is so important to be an effective run blocker. He’ll need time in Notre Dame’s strength and conditioning program to improve that.

I also think he’ll need time to get adjusted to playing out of a three point. He is always lined up in a two point for his high school program and it may sound like an easy transition, but it isn’t as simple as it looks. Jeff Quinn will have to work with him to get Jones adjusted to every kind of block they ask of their linemen.

What’s his ceiling?

Jones is going to need some time to get acclimated to college football and get to where he needs to be from a strength and technical perspective. I believe he will redshirt and may take another year or more to truly get in the mix for playing time. However, I know that others believe that he is closer to playing early than most think. Notre Dame is very high on him because of his experience playing at a high level in Arkansas and his athleticism. That athleticism made me project him as a potential swing candidate, but he may get a shot at center as well. 

For the long term, I think he is a good pickup. He is an athletic fit for the offense and someone that can be a high level pass blocker. The fact that his high school coach speaks so highly of his intelligence and his ability to learn is going to help in a big way as well. 

I think he has a chance to be a very good player given the right amount of time to develop and he is going to be intriguing to watch a couple of years down the road for the Irish. 

 
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