Recruiting Notebook: Detailed evaluation for 2025 EDGE target Marco Jones
Inside Texas takes a closer look at at the fit and evaluation of Danville (Calif.) San Ramon Valley four-star EDGE Marco Jones in this edition of the Recruiting Notebook.
How he fits at Texas:
Despite standing 6-foot-4, Marco Jones’ high school film is much closer to Anthony Hill’s than a normal Edge prospect. He plays mostly inside linebacker out in California and gets down on the edge for passing downs, much like Hill did. He’s a true linebacker with ball skills and good eyes that clearly take in a lot of information quickly. At Texas it’d make a lot of sense for him to develop as a Buck and add more pass-rushing skills to his coverage dropping ability. He might grow enough to play as a Jack but he’s enough of a true linebacker that he could also stay at Sam or even Will like Derion Gullette has done. – Ian Boyd
Coach Says:
Strengths — Tall and lengthy athlete with a muscular build and room to add. Nice wingspan. Remarkably instinctive with football IQ jumping off the tape. Short area quickness is well above average for a man this size. Lower body explosiveness is readily evident. On defense, showcased mostly as an ILB but has tape in multiple alignments. Shows a natural feel for the design of the offensive play and his fit into the run. Has a smooth, athletic drop into zone coverage with great area awareness. Understands leverage really well and uses both quickness and leverage to his advantage. Dominates on the pass rush, albeit with mostly speed and power moves. Remarkable motor and hustle plays about (over 8 minutes of highlights?!). Functional play strength is outstanding and he will manhandle smaller players. He arrives with relentless violence. As a receiver/interceptor, shows good hands and generally fluid catching motion. Always looking to score. As a TE, shows some decent route running and downfield ability to threaten the hole shots and the seams. Position versatility. Does he have TE upside?
Areas for Improvement/Concerns — Will get upright at times, letting guys into his lower legs. Would like to see him fend those off. Will need to develop some pass rush refinement at the next level. Isn’t going to win on speed as much in college. I don’t see him as an off-the-ball linebacker at the next level and it seems a given that he’s going to destroy off the edge.
How this affects Texas:
Texas has prioritized the EDGE position over the last few seasons and Jones is a natural fit in UT’s defensive scheme. They already have Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove four-star EDGE Lance Jackson in the Class of 2025. Jones will take an official visit to Texas in June, and that’ll be the Horns opportunity to make a real dent in this recruitment. They’d like to add two more in this cycle and Jones is the optimal take. – Justin Wells
Jones the No. 147 overall player, No. 20 EDGE and No. 14 prospect in California, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.
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