Four-star linebacker Levi Jones (6’3, 215 pounds, Austin, Texas) has come to a decision about where he’ll play college football, kicking off National Signing Day with an early-morning commitment to USC. Jones’ list of schools also included Florida State, Florida, Texas A&M, and UCLA.
4-star OLB Levi Jones commits to USC over Florida and FSU with T-shirt fakeout
Take a look at the Texas product’s Signing Day stunt.
Photo via XOS Digital
He did it with style, taking off his jacket to reveal Florida and FSU shirts before finally getting to his USC shirt and adding a Trojans hat.
Jones is the No. 6 outside linebacker in this year’s class, and he’s the No. 14 prospect out of the state of Texas, according to 247Sports Composite. Jones had a busy month of January before National Signing Day -- he took five official visits to his final schools.
After his visit to Florida the weekend of Jan. 13, he told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that Florida was his new leader. He took visits to UCLA, USC, and Florida State after his visit to Gainesville. Jones’ father played college ball with Florida defensive coordinator Randy Shannon, so there’s a connection there.
“I’d say UF, for sure,” Jones said via SEC Country. “It was all up in the air, but just going there and seeing Florida really pushed them out front for me.”
Jones played in January’s Under Armour All-America Game, where a couple of Florida State commits tried to sway him. SB Nation’s Bud Elliott reported that five-star cornerback Stanford Samuels was heavily recruiting him to Florida State.
Jones is an impressive athlete. In high school, he lined up as a sam, will, and mike linebacker at different points, though he spent most of his time on the outside. As an edge rusher, he looked more or less unstoppable.
He showed a great ability to avoid blocks for as long as possible, then defeat them when the ball-carrier got close. He should be able to cover tight ends well in college.
