Gatorade Player of the Year Jones chooses Golden Eagles

A two-way standout for Alexis I. duPont, William "C.J." Jones smiles coyly when asked about taking snaps behind center at his new home, Boston College.

"They said I was a very interesting recruit," he said. "They're going to first try me out at defensive back, but I can't see why they can't use me in the Wildcat or something like that."

At quarterback, Jones led the 10-1 Tigers’ triple-option offense with 1,114 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. On defense he was a shutdown corner, picking off three passes and taking one back for a touchdown.

"We had seven shutouts," recalls coach Zeb Blum. "We don't do that without this young man."
Jones was indeed the face of the Tigers program, which after years of losing finally made a return trip to the state tournament for the first time since 1982.

"I can't say enough about C.J. as an athlete or a young man," said Blum. "A lot of guys with his ability become very cocky or out-of-control, but he's been a pillar of our program and has taught others how to be humble and how to lead."

Jones said he chose Boston College because of their strong academic reputation and because Head Coach Frank Spaziani aggressively recruited him.

In total, Jones received eight total offers and likely would have gotten more had he not verbally committed to the Golden Eagles in August.

"I didn't want to get to the point where I was picking out of a hat, so I stopped sending out tapes and picked from those eight offers," he said. "Boston College was the best fit for me."

Blum said he knew Jones was destined for big things when he showed up at training camp last summer toned and in the shape of his life. Jones had begun a training program at Stay Real Football, a Wilmington club where many of the state's elite players would do weight and agility training in the off-season.

The result was a new explosiveness and footwork that Blum said set him apart from other kids.

Jones will play in two more all-star games before officially putting a wrap on his high-school career. On June 6, he'll play in a regional all-star game pitting the Northeast region against the State of New Jersey at Rutgers University and on June 19, he'll play in the annual Blue-Gold game at the University of Delaware.

Then it's onto Chestnut Hill, Mass., where Jones said he'll make academics his first priority.

"I want to make sure I maintain a high GPA so I don't have to worry about anything later on," he said. "And after that, I just want to go into camp in shape and work hard so I can pick up things quickly and be ready to learn. I want to be able to play my freshman year - not necessarily start - but play and not red shirt."