3 thoughts on commitment of Donovan Jones to Nebraska Football

Nebraska football landed another in-state commitment on Thursday and here are three thoughts on Donovan Jones.

The momentum of Nebraska football on the recruiting trail keeps building as the Huskers landed three-star defensive back Donovan Jones on Thursday.

It’s the sixth commitment for the Huskers in the past week and the 15th overall. Jones is also the third in-state commitment of this cycle for Nebraska football, although that number should grow on Friday with Dae’vonn Hall and Isaiah McMorris expected to pledge (they are both announcing Friday morning).

BREAKING: Class of 2024 Safety Donovan Jones tells me he has Committed to Nebraska!

The 6’1 185 S from Omaha, NE landed his offer last Saturday

“Home grown let’s make this money!”https://t.co/Xe0d7PNUAD pic.twitter.com/y9o7fKF6CU

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 22, 2023

Jones is a three-star in 247 Sports’ own rankings. He’s ranked 11th in the state. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder is ranked 1,248 via the On3 Industry rankings, which also have him 10th in the state of Nebraska for 2024.

Here are three thoughts on his commitment.

A perfect fit for the 3-3-5

Nebraska football is going to recruit more defensive backs while using a 3-3-5 defense and Jones is the sixth defensive back committed in the 2024 class already.

Some of the positions will work themselves out. Braylen Prude could move to linebacker, but Jones is a unique player to me in that he’s perfect for the slot corner position.

Jones spent plenty of time on the boundary during his highlights, but he also excelled in the box and in the slot. That’s going to be valuable for the Huskers.

On3 lists Jones as a safety. 247 Sports has him as an athlete, but I think he’ll play some cornerback and safety for Nebraska football. Nickel and dime defenders are very valuable in today’s game. Nebraska football didn’t have enough of those players under Scott Frost.

So I love this addition and if you have watched Jones tackle, you will too. Yet, the kid is a playmaker, and broke up seven passes last season, as well as notching two interceptions.

Another Rhule kind of athlete

This commitment showed once again that Rhule and the Huskers take the camp circuit seriously. Jones stood out in the camp, ran a 4.5 in the 40, and left with an offer.

Jones took an official visit earlier this week and boom he’s committed. This is another instance of Rhule and the staff trusting their evaluation.

Nebraska football seems to be getting ahead of teams and the recruiting services with some of these players. That’s probably because they are making more of an effort to evaluate them.

The fact that Nebraska has gotten commitments and offered so many recruits from camps will open some doors in the future. Jones is a big, fast, athlete who has on-field production. He’s basically a consensus top-10 player in the state, so it all makes taking him a no-brainer.

What’s next?

Rex Guthrie, another three-star defensive back according to the On3 rankings, was also on an official visit to Nebraska football. There haven’t been any expert projections yet, but the Huskers have a 96-percent chance of winning his commitment via the On3 prediction machine.

If the Huskers push, it feels like they will have a good shot and it doesn’t seem like Matt Rhule brings in recruits for official visits unless he is serious about taking them.

I still have questions about Caleb Benning. He was supposed to visit this weekend and as of right now, there aren’t any visits scheduled. It sounds like he could make it in for an unofficial visit this weekend or at some point in July. But the dead period starts Monday.

Would Nebraska take eight defensive backs? Frankly, I’d take Benning as an athlete and just figure it out later. Either way, the number of commitments should grow to 17 on Friday, and hopefully that leads to some positive momentum with Carter Nelson this weekend.

For More Nebraska content, follow us on Twitter, like our Facebook Page, and Subscribe to the Husker Big Red YouTube Channel. You can also find our podcast on Apple or Spotify.