2017 National Signing Day Profile: Caleb Jones

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Caleb Jones, 6’9”, 380 pounds, Indianapolis, IN (Lawrence North High School), OT, 247Sports Composite Ranking: 3-star (84.22)

Indiana has earned a well-earned reputation for developing physically-gifted offensive line prospects into tremendous offensive linemen and potential NFL players. The signing of Caleb Jones has given offensive line coach Greg Frey a super-sized addition to his position group and he has the physical tools and size to become another great Indiana offensive lineman. Jones is the 13th ranked prospect in Indiana and he is a gigantic presence. 247Sports lists him at 6’9” and 380 pounds and he chose the Hoosiers over offers from Purdue, Illinois, Cincinnati and Western Michigan. He was named to the Indy Star’s All-State team and he was a huge part (no pun intended) in improving Lawrence North’s rushing attack during his four years as a starting left tackle. The LN Wildcats play in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) with powers like Ben Davis, Carmel, Warren Central and Center Grove and they have steadily improved from a walkover to a competitive test, largely thanks to the improvement of their offense. 

Jones is clearly a huge young man with the size of a top-end NFL tackle. He’s not incredibly polished but he does move well for a player of his size and he has brutish strength that you look for in a road-grating offensive lineman. LN rarely passed so it will be important for him to learn and hone his pass-blocking skills and it’s unlikely he would unseat Coy Cronk or Brandon Knight as the team’s starting tackles. For this reason, it seems likely he will develop as a redshirt during the 2017 season before competing for a spot in the rotation in 2018. The potential is clearly very high and Jones is a very good addition and yet another solid in-state prospect to sign on for the Hoosier Army in the 2017 class.