Appreciating Texas offensive tackle Christian Jones for his maturity as much as his ability
To ensure the lede isn’t buried: I have not seen a high school prospect come as far as Christian Jones has since he signed with Texas.
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It should be said Jones, as a member of the 2018 class, has had a tremendous amount of time to develop, but that makes it all the more impressive. In a day and age when young men often become impatient and seek greener pastures or simply lose motivation, Jones has consistently bought into the staff coaching him.
His persistence should be rewarded this Spring by having his name called in the NFL Draft.
Christian Jones the recruit
Jones’ patience was evident during the recruiting process. The Cy-Woods prospect didn’t receive his Texas offer until days before National Signing Day in February of 2018. At the time Texas offered, Jones was set to attend Cal to play defensive end. Texas was the only school he was willing to play offensive line for and he flipped in time to sign with Texas. Willingness to play offensive line was an early sign of his maturity.
Discussing Jones’ recruitment would be incomplete without acknowledging the job well done by Tom Herman and his personnel department. My first messages with Jones were exchanged on June 13, 2017 as he was on his way home from a Texas camp. After that camp he was told he had a really high ceiling and “they’d be in really close contact. Like everyday.” At that camp Jones measured 6-foot-5, 271 pounds.
Jones attended two Texas games his senior season. A buddy of mine sat next to him in the recruit section at one of those games and messaged me immediately after to check him out because he was a specimen. I was aware, but it wasn’t until I saw Jones at a Longhorns Texas Bowl practice at U of H that I was truly aware. While standing on the sidelines juxtaposed against current collegians, Jones’ size and structure stood out. In sweats, he looked like an ex-college player, not a high school senior. I was pretty confident the Texas offer was only a matter of time.
The long road
At that point his play didn’t come close to matching how he looked on the hoof. The former soccer player had obvious athleticism but he was as technically raw as you’ll ever find. For that reason I felt he might end up on the defensive line. He had the athleticism for it, plus his path to the field would be quicker. D-line isn’t as nuanced as O-line.
Unsurprisingly Jones struggled mightily early in his career, especially in pass protection. Despite that, when Kyle Flood arrived from Alabama, Jones was one of the few offensive linemen on the roster that excited him. Flood immediately invested time in Jones and made him his starting left tackle in 2021 after Jones played right tackle predominantly in 2020.
The light comes on
Jones continued to struggle in 2021 at left tackle but once Kelvin Banks arrived in 2022, Jones moved to the right side and truly took off. Correlation might not equal causation, but it can’t be disputed how much he improved year-over-year after moving from left tackle to right tackle. Jones always possessed good run and pass blocking traits, but early in his career he was a much more consistent run blocker. Now, per PFF, he routinely grades higher as a pass blocker.
Currently, 6-foot-5, 320-pound Jones is the third highest graded player on offense, behind only Jonathon Brooks and Quinn Ewers.
In summation
My appreciation for Jones has less to do with the football player he’s become and more to do with the processes and decisions that allowed him to maximize. His maturity, including his decision to return for a sixth year, was just as important to the player he is today as being destined to have the size and athleticism of an NFL player.
Hopefully Jones’ final season ends with him holding a trophy or two, but his lasting legacy to fans should be to not give up on players who don’t give up on themselves.
