Jones decided to transfer after his sophomore year at Mount St. Joseph. Because of transfer rules, Jones said he was ineligible to play his junior season, so he repeated 10th grade at Boys’ Latin last year.

“It was tough, but my mother thought this would be the best thing to do,” Jones said. “It was hard because I wanted to help my team win. But it was an all right experience. I was able to get faster and stronger.”

Jones’ speed and strength was on display last summer at several camps and combines, including a Maryland summer session in which he took steps toward earning a Terps offer. When Jones suited up for the Lakers for the first time last fall, Schell said he was “a dominant guy” right away. Starting both ways, Jones helped the Lakers to a 10-1 record and a runner-up finish in the MIAA B Conference. He recorded approximately 40 tackles and four sacks.

“He allowed me to change to a 4-3 defense,” Schell said. “It was integral for our success. He’s an unbelievable offensive tackle. I mean, absolutely unbelievable. He doesn’t want to play offense in college, but the West Virginia coaches can’t stop talking about him on offense. He’s got great feet and great hips. He’s our most valuable player on defense, so that’s how good he is. You can’t single-block him. I’m just lucky now.”

It’s still early in the process for Jones, who said he could commit before the start of senior year, or wait until after his senior season. Still, there are a couple schools that have caught his eye.

“I kind of like U.Va., and Rutgers and UConn,” Jones said. “I’m going to visit Stanford. They’re a top school as well. … I like Maryland a lot. They’re one of the top schools as well, but the other schools stand out to me as well.”

Schell, a former Johns Hopkins player and assistant coach, is confident Jones will flourish in college. Jones’ confidence has already been boosted thanks to his strong junior season. Now he’s just getting used to the aftermath of that success.

“I always dreamed that I was going to be on this type of level, but I didn’t think it was going to be as big as it has gotten,” Jones said. “I thought I would get a single offer and be done and commit to that school. But it’s definitely way more complicated.”