Decision Day: Alabama LB target Cayden Jones set to announce commitment
Commitment day has arrived for four-star prospect Cayden Jones.
The Arden (N.C.) Christ School junior is set to announce his college decision on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. Central Time/3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Per the 2024 On3 Industry Rankings, Jones is the No. 17 linebacker in the nation and the second-ranked player in North Carolina. He holds over 20 offers, with his most recent one being from Alabama earlier this year.
Here are the details for Jones’ upcoming announcement and a recap of his recent trip to Tuscaloosa.
Date: April 21
Finalists: Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and USC. These are Jones’ unofficial finalists from his conversation with BamaInsider on Sunday.
Time: 2:30 p.m. CST/3:30 p.m. EST
How to Watch: Christ School Broadcast Network on YouTube — LINK
Join the discussion: Talk of Champions message board
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What is the latest in Alabama target Cayden Jones’ recruitment?
Ahead of his upcoming announcement, the Alabama Crimson Tide played host to Jones for an unofficial visit.
Jones stepped foot on campus exactly one week ago for his second trip to Tuscaloosa of the year. The nation’s No. 167 overall 2024 prospect previously attended Bama’s Jan. 28 junior day, which resulted in an offer from Nick Saban.
It was yet another successful visit to Alabama last week, according to Jones.
“It was a really good trip,” Jones told BamaInsider on Sunday. “Good time to meet Coach [Robert] Bala… the practice was good. It was good to see some of the linebacker drills and how their practices were run. It was a really good visit. Was nice being on campus again.”
Parent Perspective: Allison LeCroy, mother of 4-star LB Cayden Jones, opens up about Alabama
As for why Alabama is a contender this late in his recruitment, Jones pointed to the standard that each person in the program holds themselves to.
“The tradition,” Jones said. “The vibe and the understanding of just knowing how everyone holds themselves to a great standard of excellence. It’s just a different feeling. Everyone is grinding for the natty and the chance at greatness. That’s just something I would want to be a part of.”
Jones’ mind was made up by the time we spoke with him on Sunday. He was excited to finally announce his college decision, and detailed the factors he considered the most down the home stretch.
“A big factor was the feeling we had when we went on campus. That was really big,” Jones said. “Relationships with the coaches were very important as well. The standard of the program. All of those weighed a big deal in my decision.”
BamaInsider Reporter Andrew Bone shared his prediction on the four-star linebacker-HERE
Alabama currently has 5 commitments in its 2024 class, which ranks No. 3 nationally per the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Stay tuned this afternoon to see if the Crimson Tide can land verbal pledge No. 6.
Bama fans, also be sure to join the discussion about Cayden Jones and his upcoming commitment on the Talk of Champions message board. There’s always a lot of great team, recruiting, and off-topic conversations going on. So, we look forward to talking with you all there!
