Cavs gain another commitment

Perry Jones watched with amazement.
While some were focused intently on the commercials during the Super Bowl in 2007, the Chesapeake native watched every movement of Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders.
Jones, a standout at Oscar Smith High, was fascinated how Sanders, a player most said was too small to play safety in college, could live up to the nickname “Hitman.”
The opportunity is now in place for Jones to prove his doubters wrong in the same fashion.
On Monday, Jones verbally committed to play football at Virginia, aware that he was most likely going to undergo a position switch, sliding from linebacker to safety. He became the ninth commitment for the Cavaliers in the Class of 2009 and the seventh from inside the state.
“I have been looking forward to playing safety since watching Sanders, my favorite football player, on TV,” Jones said. “He inspires me to do good at the position.
“When I first really noticed him two years ago, I heard about how he was only 5-foot-8 and that he basically had to walk on to his college team.”
Jones, who stands at 5-foot-9 and 178 pounds, followed in his brother’s footsteps playing linebacker at Oscar Smith. As a rookie, Jones watched his brother, Joseph, in uniform from the sidelines.
“When I was a freshman, I played J.V. and varsity and my brother was a starting linebacker,” said Jones, who also had one other offer from Boston College. “I didn’t start varsity until my sophomore year and when I was a freshman I was playing both games and I dressed out, but on Fridays I wouldn’t play very much.
“When my brother played, he was bigger than I am.”
His brother, now a student at Norfolk State, coached Jones and the team’s linebackers last year.
“He sees my potential and every mistake, he corrects it,” Jones said. “He is a big reason I have been as successful as I am right now.”
There were not many mistakes last season — Jones racked up 141 tackles and five interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
Interested in Virginia last year, Jones took a visit to watch the program play Pittsburgh. He was immediately sold on UVa.
“There was something about it … the intensity and how excited the fans were to see their home team play,” Jones said. “It just looked real good that night.”
Virginia waited to secure video of Jones, who was clocked at 4.3 in the
40-yard dash, playing safety. After that was obtained, an offer followed on Friday.
Three days later, and after lengthy discussions with his family and coaches, he jumped at the chance.
Jones said playing at Virginia provides him a well-needed challenge.
“I wanted to go somewhere that I had to work hard to earn a spot,” he said. “If I have to earn it, that is going to make me play better.”
Jones said he will not re-open the recruiting process, shifting his focus on encouraging teammate Timothy Smith to join him in Charlottesville. Smith, a wideout, has offers from numerous schools, including Maryland, UVa and West Virginia.
“It was real exciting getting it over with early,” he added, “and now I can focus on the rest of my high school career.”