When freshman quarterback Josh Jones arrives in Durham later this month, there should be no doubt that he wants to be with the defending MEAC and HBCU champions.
Jones received over $3 million in combined academic and athletic scholarship offers from a wide-range of schools. But North Carolina Central is where he decided to plant his flag.
“It was kind of a difficult process to think through,” Jones told HBCU Gameday’s Symone Stanley. “But in the end, I ended up going to the school that I felt most comfortable with and that I knew was going to be able to provide for me and my future.”
Air Force, Navy and Dartmouth along with NCCU’s arch-rival HBCU North Carolina A&T were in the running for the signal-caller from Westover High School in Fayetteville, NC.
Jones said he ultimately decided the military wasn’t for him, so Air Force and Navy were out. Dartmouth was nice, but there was something missing.
So how did he choose between NCCU and A&T? Jones said it was about relationship and connection.
“It all came down to communication and the bonds that I’ve made with the coaches,” Jones said. “And that’s what put Central over A&T.”
Those relationships include offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Matt Leone and head coach Trei Oliver.
“Any advice, anything that Coach Leone, Coach Oliver, they tell that I need to work on – that’s what I’m going to do to get myself better and be able to play to that level,” Jones said.
A four-year starter in high school, Jones enters North Carolina Central with Davius Richard already entrenched as the guy on campus. He knows this and is ready to learn from him.
“Knowing that I’m going to be able to learn under a great quarterback that has put a high name for himself, and what he’s going to be able to do for the future – potentially going to the NFL,” Jones said. “Being behind that guy and learning from him, I feel that it will better me so that when my time is to come to get on the field – I’m ready.”