Demetrius Jones

Jones used various monikers throughout his playing career, including "D-Train" and "Mo-Po Jones," a reference to Morgan Park High School. His grandmother called him "Double D," which was short for "double disaster."[1]

As a senior at Morgan Park High School, Jones threw for 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns, and was selected to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Jones was one of seven quarterbacks named to the Parade All-American team and was the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Illinois. USA Today rated him 33rd nationally among all prep football players.[2]

As a freshman at Notre Dame, Jones saw no playing time behind senior Brady Quinn, but was twice selected by his teammates as the "show team player of the week" as he ran the opposing teams' offenses in practice. While competing to become the starting quarterback in the spring of 2007, Jones was commended by coach Charlie Weis for having "made the most plays," and in the final week of fall practice he was awarded the position.[2]

However, in Jones's first and only game as a starter against Georgia Tech, Jones was 1-of-3 passing for 4 yards and lost two fumbles before being pulled in favor of freshman Jimmy Clausen. The following week, Jones did not make the team's bus trip to Michigan, and the sports media began to report that Jones was transferring to Northern Illinois.[3] Those plans were thwarted when, at first, the Notre Dame athletic department refused to release Jones from his scholarship, but later they gave permission for him to speak to Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly, and Jones joined the Bearcats shortly thereafter.[4]

After sitting out the remainder of 2007 at Cincinnati due to NCAA regulations, Jones was unable to unseat the Bearcats' starting quarterback Tony Pike and opted instead to play the middle linebacker position. In two years as a reserve, he recorded 36 tackles and an interception. Then in 2010, with the departure of Brian Kelly (who, coincidentally, accepted the head coaching position at Notre Dame), Jones decided to transfer yet again.[5]

Jones then enrolled at Central State University in Ohio, a Division II school that is part of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, where he played as a wide receiver and tight end. In his first six games for the Marauders, he recorded 41 receptions for 410 yards and two touchdowns, and also completed 14 of 23 passes for 178 yards. Jones planned to petition for another year of eligibility after he was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in February 2011.[6]

• Demetrius Jones Notre Dame Recruiting Profile