Image Credit: ESPN Images
The Florida Gators landed their first big fish under head coach Dan Mullen as four-star quarterback Emory Jones (Franklin, GA) signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday during the first-ever Early Signing Period.
Jones (6-foot-3, 195 pounds), previously an Ohio State commit, chose Florida primarily over Florida State, though Alabama . The dual-threat signal caller visited both Sunshine State schools over the weekend but ultimately decided to go with Mullen due in large part to his history developing quarterbacks.
Back when he was at Mississippi State and Jones was still an underclassman in high school, Mullen was the first coach to offer the rising signal caller. Though Jones decided not to go to MSU, he always had his eye on UF but was not a target of former head coach Jim McElwain. Once Mullen signed on with the Gators, the pieces came together.
Jones’ commitment comes after four-star QB Matt Corral flipped from Florida to Ole Miss, though it was pretty clear what was transpiring once that went down. Whereas Jones is ranked 40th in the nation and the No. 4 dual-threat signal caller, Corral is 60th and the No. 3 pro-style quarterback.
With Jones in tow, Florida is now ranked No. 17 nationally in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, up 15 spots from a few days ago.
Here’s how the Gators’ coaching staff reacted to the news.
The reaction says it all. 🐊🐊
Welcome to #GatorNation, @exjones6! #AllBite18 pic.twitter.com/K6DV90Kc5x
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 20, 2017
Mullen also discussed the signing of Jones.
"He's a winner." — @CoachDanMullen on @eXjones6 #NSD18 Info: https://t.co/5LVP2inulv pic.twitter.com/ONBvck2wvL
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 20, 2017