Jones has a unique profile in that he was a backup for most of his final two years in high school after transferring to Clayton. He is arguably a more polished passer than the dual-threat Power Four commit ahead of him, and was occasionally used in must-pass and two-minute situations. He has size, arm talent, and accuracy, and will likely impress coaches at winter camps.

Jones had an outstanding year at Hunt last season, but transferred back to Clayton because it was a better fit for him academically. Unfortunately, that puts him behind Smalls on a loaded quarterback depth chart. However, he has the arm talent to be a high-level college prospect. His combination of strong arm and solid decision-making make him an excellent quarterback, even if he might not get to show it as much as a senior.

We put Carson on the wait list because he had a strong season for Providence Grove. Per his Twitter profile, Carson had 26 touchbacks, 4 field goals with a long of 50 yards out, and made 18 of 23 for his extra points. Once we can get a live look at Carson, I anticipate him moving into our rankings in our next update. Carson was named to some postseason all-star teams because of his production this past season and I’m looking forward to seeing him even more in the future.

Admittedly, there’s a bit of projection here as Jones’ on-field numbers haven’t quite reached the level of some of the other guys in this range, but he has the physical tools needed to be a solid FCS-FBS prospect. His arm talent and ability to throw from multiple arm slots is evident on film and when we saw him throw at a Prep Redzone camp, we were impressed.

Jones had a slower start to his sophomore year before really finishing strong down the stretch. He has solid mechanics, but also isn’t afraid to make risky plays with both his feet and his arm. As a junior, his confiidence is higher and that should help him really shine on Friday nights.

Jones is a fun evaluation in that he’s both mechanically sound and plays with a sort of backyard style that is more synonomous with gunslingers and less developed quarterbacks. That leads to a lot of “no, no, no, yes!” throws that few quarterbacks can make. Jones is a smart player who has great poise under pressure.