Jones likes the different energy in the Swamp under Mullen

The Florida Gators need help on the offensive line in the 2019 class and on Saturday they hosted a few prospects at that position for the Orange and Blue game.

Offensive lineman Keiondre Jones (6-4, 315, Hogansville, GA. Callaway) was one of them in the Swamp on Saturday and he liked the atmosphere.

“It’s good, I like the vibe here,” Jones said. “I keep coming back, just getting to see the fans and talk to the fans, it was pretty good. It was cool. Really just getting to see how the change in the program has come.”

This was the second time in Gainesville this spring for Jones and the first visit was just a normal catching up visit for him with the new staff.

“I knew them from Mississippi State so it was just talking ball,” he said on his first visit to Florida. “We were talking about where I would play at and stuff like that.”

Jones is no stranger to Dan Mullen and his coaching staff as he has known most of them for years.

“I’ve been with comfortable with them since they were at Mississippi State, so I’ve known them for a long time,” Jones said on how comfortable he is with the staff. “We just have regular conversations and I’m pretty cool with all of them. One of my factors in my decisions is being comfortable with where I’m at so I like that.”

Head coach Dan Mullen has really caught Jones’ attention with his energy and the change he has made in Gainesville.

“I just love his energy,” Jones said of Mullen. “He brings a terrific energy to the game, it’s crazy how he just like brings the juice factor with him. He has changed the energy around here.”

The coaching staff has kept the message to Jones pretty simple as they want him to join his cousin Emory Jones in the Swamp.

“A lot of them tell them to come block for my cousin,” he said on the message from the coaches. “I like that, it’s a good factor but they want to keep him safe. Just come play ball here.”

Jones wanted to visit Florida on Saturday to watch Emory Jones’ debut in the Swamp and he liked what he was able to see from his cousin.

“It was cool, I was messing with him because he threw a pick,” he said on he seeing his cousin Emory debut at Florida. “He had two touchdowns to so, so that’s cool. He started shaky but he was good.”

Having Emory in Gainesville is something that helps Florida out with Jones as the two used to talk about playing together in college.

“It’s crazy, because we used to talk about playing ball, and playing college ball, so to see it happening it’s a good thing,” Jones said on seeing Emory at Florida. “Of course we talk about playing together, we want to play together but it’s not like we have to.”

After the visit, Jones didn’t want to name any leaders but did say when he would like to make a decision.

“I don’t know, I’m not sure yet,” he said on when he wants to narrow things down. “I’m planning on committing in probably around August.”

The offensive lineman did say that a few schools are recruiting him harder then others right now.

“Florida, Auburn, Clemson, Mississippi State, South Carolina,” Jones said on schools recruiting him the hardest.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.