Peter Jones Showed Elite Talent Very Early On, But Notre Dame Interest Came Much Later
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Notre Dame is quickly putting together yet another outstanding recruiting class with the 2024 group, and the most recent commit is Malvern (Pa.) Prep four-star offensive tackle Peter Jones. The 6-5, 290-pound blocker chose Notre Dame over Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Wisconsin, among others.
Jones has received a lot of recruiting interest from across the country, but for a player who is fresh off his sophomore year of high school, he handled that attention beyond his years. Jones’ offensive line coach Jeffrey Carroll took the Irish Breakdown staff behind the scenes to discuss his fit with the Irish, the recruiting process and just how special Jones could be long term.
“(Peter) handled the whole process with incredible maturity,” said Carroll. “We were all really impressed to watch him handle the process. I think seeing his brother go through the process for him introduced to the recruitment process a good bit.”
His brother, Kevin Jones, is now a senior at the University of Maine. Peter got the chance to see him work through the chaos of recruiting when he was coming out of Bishop Shanahan.
According to Coach Carroll, that attention started very early. The staff knew they had something special from the beginning.
“When Peter was coming in, we sat him down and asked him what his wildest dream was,” Carroll said. “At that time, he told us that it was probably Penn State where he wanted to go. That was the school that his family rooted for growing up and seemed like a really good option for him.”
Being a Pennsylvania guy, that fandom for the Penn State program made a lot of sense. As he continued to work through the process, Notre Dame quickly made a massive impression on the 6-5, 290-pound offensive tackle. That fandom did not blind him, and Jones allowed things to play out.
“He remained very open to the process, gave each coach a chance and really just took everything in,” Carroll explained. “When we went up to Notre Dame, we were all just floored by everything Coach (Harry) Hiestand did. It was clear that he wanted Peter and the fit just made too much sense. That’s exactly what Coach Hiestand kept saying, it was just too obvious of a fit.”
Notre Dame quickly became the program to beat in this recruitment. For the last couple of months, it was more about when and not so much if he would pick the Irish. Carroll kept reiterating: it just made too much sense.
Having worked with Jones for the entirety of his high school career so far, Carroll’s first impression of the talented offensive lineman started even earlier than a freshman seminar or first day of practice. No, Carroll knew he was coming down the pipeline extremely early.
“I knew when he was in seventh grade that he was going to do something,” said Carroll. “He was a monster even back then, still had a baby face, but you just knew. Just seeing the way he moved, the way he could take to coaching, he was going to be special.
“He was 6-0 or 6-1 and 220 pounds as a seventh grader,” Carroll continued. “Obviously he was always a massive kid. Then his freshman year he went from about 240 to 270 pounds very quickly. He’s one of those kids who you have to pull out of the weight room. He’s a relentless worker.”
Carroll remained a valuable resource throughout every part of the recruitment process. Even he admitted that all the attention got pretty surreal at times.
“It was kind of strange being star struck as a grown man, seeing all of the coaches and everyone coming to see Peter,” he said. “It was just incredible to see.”
The talent for Jones is easy to see. They don’t make players with this type of frame, from such a young age, often. It’s the mental side of the game and his work ethic, however, that makes the Pennsylvania native so special.
“He’s a very easy learner,” said Jones. “The way he’s taken to offensive line play, which is naturally an unnatural thing, has been great to watch. Peter just loves to learn about it. He is always seeking new information and he knows that there isn’t just one way to do something.”
He has had the chance to work with some of the best offensive line coaches in college football at camps and has taken a little bit of something from all of them,” Carroll continued. “Peter also works constantly with his brother when he is home from school. He really never stops working.”
When asked about the upside of Peter long term, Coach Carroll made it very clear how special he could be on the next level. For him, he even exceeds past his potential accomplishments in South Bend.
“I don’t want to jinx it but the ceiling is clearly the NFL,” Carroll said. “West Virginia’s coach came in before and said almost immediately that that is an NFL body. That’s what the ceiling is for him working with Coach Hiestand.”
A lot of times in recruiting, there is just a feeling. It’s not something that can be easily quantified but everyone felt it when the Jones’ crew rolled through the campus. It just made too much sense.
“From the second we were there, everyone just knew,” he said. “It fit perfectly right. Peter just felt at home.”
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