Previously: Last year's profiles. S Quinten Johnson, S Daxton Hill, CB DJ Turner II, CB Jalen Perry, LB Joey Velazquez, LB Anthony Solomon, LB Charles Thomas, DE David Ojabo, DE Gabe Newburg, DE Mike Morris, DT Chris Hinton, DT Mazi Smith, OL Jack Stewart, OL Nolan Rumler, OL Zach Carpenter, OL Karsen Barnhart.

Loganville, GA – 6'5", 302
[Isaiah Hole]		24/7	4*, #109 overall #11 OT, #12 GA
		Rivals	4*, #90 overall #12 OT, #11 GA
		ESPN	4*, #202 overall #20 OT, #24 GA
		Composite	4*, #108 overall #11 OT, #12 GA
		Other Suitors	Clemson, Aub, A&M, FSU, Neb, Tenn, UF
		YMRMFSPA	Erik Magnuson
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from Ace. Future Blue Derivatives from Adam.
Notes	Twitter.
Film
Junior: Jones doesn't have a comprehensive senior reel; his hudl page has various single game items and this brief compilation from his first five games:

Trente Jones started off modestly ranked. ESPN had him a four star when he committed back in February; the other sites had him in 3.5* territory. This did not prevent a brave, or perhaps deranged, Steve Lorenz from saying some things about Jones versus his teammate, five-star Tennessee commit Wanya Morris:

… there are some (including one I trust very much) who have covered the Grayson program that believe Jones has a higher ceiling than Top100 prospect Wanya Morris, a prospect with a much more national profile. …

Later he'd post that Jones was Grayson's top-graded OL, information that had to come from one of the coaches.  These takes were, uh, out there.

No longer. Jones took advantage of his all-star appearance to fly up the rankings. LorenzTakes™ are way less of an outlier now. Jones was dumped on a line with Morris and two other five stars in Evan Neal and Darnell Wright in the UA game and got more talk than most of those other guys. Mike Farrell named him the guy who improved his stock the most. Chad Simmons compared him favorably to most of the blue-chippers:

…outside of Neal, Trente Jones created the most positive buzz for the week. He is a lean offensive lineman that some view as a guard at Michigan, but he showed he could play tackle at a high level this week, too.

He made Rivals's top ten performers ("very strong at the point of attack… stronger in pass sets than expected") across both teams.

[After THE JUMP: Steve, triumphant]

24/7 was equally impressed and provided some interesting detail. Jones is highly mobile. Brian Dohn:

"…jumped out to me because he is so athletic … moves so well laterally. … has a chance to be a really high level player because of how athletic he is, his ability to move side to side, and reach."

John Garcia:

"…super-athlete who has really worked on his body … ability to get to the second level, to reach block, and get over TWO gaps, to lead the way on stretch plays …movement and skill will allow for so many different types of looks. …maybe even a left tackle down the line. I think he could play guard too. … [upped his] stock as much as anybody."

Garcia also noted his attitude in practice—Jones was "energetic" and "the life of the party" but also "has taken to the coaching," which ended up being important later in the week when DL gave up on trying to get around the edge on him:

" Whether it was getting to the point that a speed rusher was trying to beat him to, or redirecting underneath against those guys, Trente got it done. … [DL] know three days in that (Jones) is probably the most athletic offensive lineman out there. So, he was well prepared their counters."

Other takes include "high level athleticism and toughness" from a guy who has "all the tools"; also Rivals "could make a case" that he was the #2 OL on his team after demonstrating he "easily project[s]" as a tackle.

In the aftermath both 24/7 and Rivals shot him up to around 100th nationally, a reasonable spot for a guy who didn't come out of the NFL Left Tackle mold but has just about everything else. Steve gets a victory lap:

"He was underrated until the end of his recruiting cycle. I think he has the highest ceiling of any of the six signees and his ranking (No. 108 nationally) finally reflected that in the end."

[golf clap]

Before all this, Jones was frequently described as a guard. Much of that scouting ("playing out of position now … definitely going to be an inside guy"; "mauler … weight mover … guard") was overturned by Jones's senior year and all-star appearance and now holds little value. There are some non-all-star takes worth reviewing, though. Adam went over an ESPN broadcast of a Grayson game and came away impressed:

… takes less than 20 seconds to see Jones’ upside: he can move….shows some crazy athleticism leaping over a fallen Archer defensive lineman to go pick off a linebacker. …player of this size with Jones’ feel for the game and footwork is too great an asset to slide over. …will need to add strength …kick step allows him to get depth quickly in pass protection. … Good pass-protection footwork and minimal targeting issues are exceedingly rare among high school offensive linemen. …ceiling for Jones is very high.

Nick Baumgardner:

…well-coached, fluid front-side tackle who showed great footwork, a powerful lower body drive and the potential to possibly be a multi-tool player in college. … solid 290-300 pounds. He moves well with it and knows how to use it. … generally does a nice job of firing off the ball with great leverage and is both powerful and quick enough to pull off a second-level combination block

And Garcia's post-all-star summary:

Tall, athletic, muscular offensive tackle … Fluid pass blocker with good length and patience … Good footwork, especially laterally, with redirection ability. … Not a mauler as run blocker but plenty consistent … gets to second level or outside as puller with relative ease. Able to reach block athletic or bulky edge players alike.

And there is something to the guard takes. As mentioned above, Jones didn't get punched out of the Lewan/Long mold. An opposing coach on the Wanya Morris/Trente Jones divide:

"I think the main difference between Jones and Wanya is just the overall length and size … Wanya is around 6-6, 6-7 and has that prototypical tackle build. His stature is just so long — you can’t teach that. Jones is long too but not like Morris. … I think Jones is just about as good right now as Morris is but that overall length just gives Morris such a high ceiling down the line."

The guard takes were probably overstated because of Morris. Jones was standing next to a prototypical tackle and seemed like a guard; if he was standing next to Nolan Rumler in high school he'd seem like a tackle. Part of being at Grayson is getting lined up across from some dudes, and he did that just fine:

"Personally, I feel like I’m a right tackle because I’ve been handling defensive ends that are going to Clemson, Alabama and Minnesota just fine like it’s just another player. If I fit better at guard at Michigan then I fit better at guard. I’ll do whatever it takes."

His coach named names of those he "dominated": Justin Mascoll and Darnell Jefferies, Clemson commits both.

Morris is also reputed to be the kind of person who's likely to approach his ceiling. Lorenz reported that "the staff felt like Jones was a perfect fit culture-wise with the program" and his late bust-out is in part because Jones significantly reshaped his body.

Prior to his senior season his coach told Allen Trieu that he "improved the most of any kid on the team in the weight room" and was "working hard on his agility"; that work evidently paid off. Chad Simmons had one of the "is a guard" takes above but by the time he saw Grayson in person last year that was gone:

…worked hard in the off-season to re-shape his body, he is in great condition and he is playing at a very high level as a senior. … with his body now and the way he moves, tackle could definitely be an option.

In addition to the obvious physical transformation, his head coach—also Grayson's OL coach—asserts that he's the kind of guy who could evolve into the kind of digital computer man that really good OL have to be:

“…constant, steady, methodical and driven. He’s very eager to really work hard. …eager for constructive criticism. … Every phase of run blocking, he asks questions. Every phase of pass protection, how to watch film, what are things that he can do to prepare himself mentally and physically. I think he’s always prepared and he’s one of those guys that’s worked hard to improve.”

Jones's trajectory is encouraging; he could be ready sooner rather than later.

Why Erik Magnuson? Mobile swing guy with a lean towards tackle. Magnuson ended up a right tackle at Michigan and has stuck in the NFL as a backup guard. Draft take from NFL.com:

Solid athlete with loose hips and good lateral movement. Average feet but a clean, smooth kick slide. … Dependable in space. … Shorter than his listed height and legs look a little bit sawed off. Might not have the length to play tackle or the strength to play guard. … lack of length and power could necessitate a move into center or back at guard for a zone-scheme team. Movement skills make him a fit for teams looking to operate in space

On the college level those deficiencies were less pronounced, but Magnuson was never an A-level pass protector. Instead he was a reliable, mobile right tackle just short of being a star. Jones has a bit more upside than that.

Guru Reliability: High. All-Star appearance, tight range, major school, not a lot of projection.

Variance: Low-plus. Already college-sized, seems to have dispelled most of the concerns about pass protection, coming from a high level of competition. Not as experienced as a guy like Rumler but most everything else.

Ceiling: High-plus. Doesn't have Taylor Lewan's frame and is unlikely to be an NFL left tackle as a result. A college left tackle? Yes.

General Excitement Level: Very high. Battle-tested risers that have people raving about their ability to move are quality additions.

Projection: Is OL, redshirt. Will be groomed at tackle, one presumes, and given a chance to battle the Stueber/Mayfield loser in 2020 after Runyan graduates. Stueber/Mayfield loser will be a heavy favorite since whoever it is will have a couple more years in the program and the vibe coming from Schembechler is positive about both.

If that is the case Michigan will probably give Jones a look on the interior since there will be a lot of opportunity there. Long term he is a likely starter somewhere, most likely ending up at a tackle spot for a couple years after Stueber graduates.