You might not recognize his name now, but if Jared Jones has his way, you will soon.

‘Ultimately, the goal before I leave is to be one of those dynamite players,’ said Jones, mentioning elite Syracuse football alumni like Donovan McNabb and Kevin Johnson.

Jones, a sophomore wide receiver, isn’t there yet, but he might be on his way. And he certainly has the confidence to get himself there.

Originally recruited to play quarterback, Jones switched to receiver in the spring of his redshirt year. Having practiced only a year at the position, Jones has drawn notice. With 18 receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns this year, Jones is becoming a reliable downfield target.

‘My freshman and sophomore years in high school I played receiver. And my junior and senior year, I played quarterback, so I hadn’t caught a pass (at SU) before this year,’ Jones said. ‘In the beginning it was (tough). Getting terms down, the routes, what I have to do, what to look for. I had to get used to that.’

‘Whenever you change a position, it’s a tough transition,’ wide receivers coach Dennis Goldman said. ‘But the thing (Jones) had going for him was, being a quarterback, he knew all the routes and was around the receivers enough to actually see how the routes were run.’

Jones’ progress has been noted by coaches, as evidenced by Jones’ being in games during key situations. Down seven points to Temple, with 30 seconds remaining, Jones caught the touchdown pass that set place-kicker Collin Barber up for what would have been the game-tying extra point.

‘Jared is unbelievably coming along,’ senior wideout David Tyree said, ‘because it’s not easy and he realizes that. The more opportunities he got, the more he started to capitalize.’

In some ways, Jones’ transition to wide receiver should have been expected. Coming out of high school, many of the schools recruiting Jones were interested in him as a wideout.

Syracuse was one of the few programs willing to let Jones try quarterbacking. Yet to see more playing time earlier in his collegiate career, Jones willingly switched to receiver. The same skills that made him an intriguing receiving prospect out of high school are still his best attributes.

‘He needs to work on his consistency and that’s about it,’ said Andre Fontenette, Jones’ roommate and fellow wide receiver. ‘He has all the tools that anyone would need. He’s quick, great hands. He doesn’t drop the ball, and he has so much quickness. And he’s confident in his abilities. He knows that, if you throw him the ball, he’s a threat to score.”

In the week prior to the Virginia Tech game, Jones sprained his knee in practice. Now, Jones hopes to return to play in Syracuse’s last game of the season, against Miami on Nov. 30.

‘I thought he was really at the point where you could really depend on him,’ Goldman said. ‘I had tremendous confidence in him catching the football when it was thrown to him on his route. His execution of routes was becoming very good, and he’s understanding the offense, working hard in practice. He was really starting to come around when his injury happened.’

‘Unfortunately, he got hurt right now, so he’s out,’ Fontenette said. ‘But he’s been rehabbing, working real hard, trying to get back from that.’

Though Jones wants to return this season, he won’t push anything because he realizes he must stay healthy to reach the goals he’s set.

‘I understand my chance will come,’ Jones said. ‘With every year, the more knowledge that you gain when you play this game, and just the older you become, and the more physical you become as a player, I think you can grow. And hopefully, with the two years I have left, I can do some of those things and really blossom.’

Published on November 21, 2002 at 12:00 pm