LYNN HAVEN — Mosley’s Reakwon Jones is no stranger to hard work. It has helped him become a standout player for the Dolphins, and now it has led him all the way to Big 10 Conference.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound linebacker signed a scholarship to play for the
Jones had a monster senior season with 119 tackles, 58 solo stops, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, and six forced fumbles to lead the Dolphins to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
He’ll next get to test himself against a whole different level of competition in one of the premier conferences in all of college football.
Perhaps that realization finally hit home Wednesday for Jones, who said he was a bit overwhelmed by the moment.
“There’s a lot of emotion for me. I was a little nervous, but overall it’s just the greatest day ever,” Jones said. “It’s a big goal that I’ve been able to accomplish, but now it’s on to the next goal, which is to go to IU and help them win championships.”
While playing for a school the size of
“I think Reakwon could play anywhere in the country. I think
“With his passion for the game and his work ethic, he’s got a chance to go in and make an impact on the field in his first year.”
Jones got to see a pair of his teammates also sign college letters of intent, with quarterback Dillon Brown signing with Samford and defensive lineman Garrett Calhoun signing with Faulkner University.
Brown, who tossed 16 touchdown passes and ran for six more as a senior, will go to Samford on an academic scholarship thanks to a
He’ll likely redshirt as a freshman, with Brown saying he has to use that year to get himself ready physically and mentally to compete for the starting job in 2016.
“Once I get up there it’s about buying into the program,” he said. “They’ve got all the right people there to get me where I need to be physically, so it’s up to me to get the mental part taken care of. It’s about getting the playbook down and just immersing myself in the program and doing everything I need to do to be successful.”
While at 6-0, 170 pounds, the QB Brown isn’t physically imposing, the coach Brown said that his intelligence and mental edge allows him to overcome a lack of size.
“The thing with Dillon is that he’s an unbelievable competitor, but he processes things so fast,” he said. “That’s the most important thing for any quarterback, being able to see what’s going on and process the information quickly, and that’s the biggest thing for Dillon.”
For
He finished his senior season with 16 tackles, 30 solo stops, and six tackles for loss while playing on the defensive line, but
“That’s what I played all along until I got to high school, so I think I could pick it up again pretty fast,” he said. “They have great coaches there and I feel like they’re going to get me to where I need to be.”
Jeremy Brown said that, given
“Garrett is an incredibly smart football player who has great awareness,” he said. “He’s a very smart kid who works real hard. He’s a great high school football player. We feel like if Garrett was two or three inches taller, he’d be going to a mid-major type of school. He’s that kind of football player.”
The Dolphins’ baseball team also saw one of its stars move on Wednesday, as shortstop Clay Causey signed with
Causey, who Mosley coach Todd Harless called “the ultimate team player,” finished his varsity career with a .416 average, 137 hits, 97 RBI, 37 doubles, 11 triples, and just 13 errors in 90 games.
Mosley finished 78-12 in those 90 games, including 8-3 in the playoffs, and Causey will look to find similar success with the Commodores and coach Mike Kandler.
“I’m incredibly excited. It’s a wonderful opportunity for me,” Causey said. “I’m happy just to be doing the thing that 98 percent of high school baseball players don’t get to do, which is live out my dream.”