Gridiron Football Top 300: David Jones

David Jones plays for Madison Prep High School in Baton Rouge, La. He is listed as a Gridiron Football Top 300 for the 2023 class because he plays with elite speed and has unbelievable range. He plays both receiver and corner for the chargers. David is 6′ and weights 190 pounds. He currently has offers from Nebraska, South Alabama, ULM, Southern University, and Missouri Valley College. David has a 3.0 GPA.

Watch David’s highlights here.

When did you start playing football? I started playing when I was 3 or 4 years old for the South Baton Rouge Rams. Back then I played everything; o-line, d-line, quarterback, running back, receiver, like I said everything.

What do you love about football? I love the energy, I love that it teaches you a lot. More than some else can teach you. It makes you a tougher man in life. Life is tough, so football teaches you so much how to deal with it all.

What have you learned about yourself from playing football? I take it seriously. I learned that I gotta win. I take that very hard.

As one of the team captains, what type of leadership style do you want to bring to your team your senior year? We are obviously going to have some bad times and some good times but we are going to have fun mostly. I just like to enjoy myself. I am going to teach them (the team) what I have learned form others and I want them to do the same thing I am doing before I leave for college.

What do you want to accomplish your senior year? Gotta get that ring. We cannot come up short this year like last year. I want that second ring.

You have played with Zeon all though high school, what is it like to now play with a young QB like Tylan? Ty can throw it but he is different since he is more of a pocket passer. Zeon, if he had any problems, he could move and make plays. However, with Ty, we are just gonna have to get things done.

What are some things you have done to get better this offseason to help your young quarterback? Sometimes we have these independent practice where it is just us (the receivers) and the quarterback. We practice our routs and do drills to help our chemistry get better. 7on7 has really helped us get better and helped Ty get more confident to throw us the ball. Mostly we just work to get our chemistry together.

Who did you play 7on7 with this past spring? F3 Elite, Team Juice

You have played with both Zeon and Rickie Collins, two of the best quarterbacks in Baton Rouge, if not the country. What has it been like to catch balls from them? I will be real, they throw that ball hard. I think out of the two, I think Zeon throws the hardest, but Rickie can launch that mug. We all know Rickie has an arm.

What would your teachers say about you? What would that English teacher say about you? That I joke a lot but I get the work done.

What would your receivers coach, Coach Jones, say about you? The same thing. That is just my character on and off the field. I am a goof but I get the job done.

What kind of football player are you? Physical, I love to hit. I just love the game. It has help me through so much.

Where do you come from? I am going to be the first person to go to the NFL in my family. I didn’t have a pops, because he was doing time. But my mom works hard or us and we get the job done in football and stuff. I want to do for her what she has been doing for me. I look u to my mom.

Do you model your play style after anyone in the NFL or College team? Everyone says I play like Tyrann Mathieu, Derek Stingley Jr. Them two are my favorite players. I respect both of them and what they have accomplished. I was at a camp in Houston and I heard someone say “oh my God he plays just like Tyrann Mathieu’s,” and I was like wow that is crazy that someone I do not know would say that because I work so hard to play like them. I know how smart he is, we both bring that power. We both got that dog in us that most do not have.

What position do you play? I play both defensive back and wide receiver.

What do you like about school? I like learning new things. If I am having trouble in a subject, I will talk to the teacher about it.

What kind of guy are you in the locker room? I am a team leader, but I am who I am. We are going to joke some, play some, and work hard all the time.

Walk me through this scenario. You are playing U-High for the district championship and you drop that pass in the endzone with no time left on the clock and you are down by 3 points. What are you doing the next morning? I gotta get back to work. I am not going to let that one play get to me because there are 60 other plays in the game. So I am going to get back to work and do what I gotta do to get better. I know everyone makes mistakes, I am not going to let that sit on my mind.

If a college coach was to ask you, “Why should I offer you over everyone else in the country,” what would you say? Whatever you want me to play, that is what I am going to play and I am going to do it to the best of my ability.

What does this (football, going to college) all mean to you? That is my number one goal, to go to college. I just want to play football for the rest of my life. NFL, sports, ESPN, it is my life. I just have so much love for the game.

One thing we have not talked about that you want people to know? I am not perfect. That is a big thing I go by. I make mistakes and I am not perfect. No one is perfect. I just do my best to do whatever I can.