LB Jarvis Jones enjoying ’second chance to come to Georgia’
ATHENS — Jarvis Jones, the linebacker who traveled from Columbus to Athens by way of Los Angeles, is looking forward to finally playing for Georgia’s football team next season.
The state’s No. 3-rated prospect in his senior season at Carver High School (Columbus) in 2008, Jones turned down Georgia to sign with Southern California. In the eighth game of his freshman season at USC in 2009, he suffered a neck injury that ultimately ended his Trojans career. He requested and received a release from his scholarship after USC doctors would not clear him for spring practice this year. He sought other medical opinions and was told he could play again.
So in June, he signed with the Georgia program that he had rejected out of high school.
“When I left SC, I was, like, ‘If I go play anywhere, I want to go home [and] play in front of the people that I know care about me and are going to take care of me,” Jones said Wednesday. “I know that it wasn’t my decision out of high school, but over time things change.
“I’m just glad to have the opportunity to be here and the opportunity that Coach [Mark] Richt gave me –- the second chance to come to Georgia. Now I’m here, and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
Jones was redshirted this season, satisfying NCAA transfer requirements as well as providing a health precaution. He has been practicing with the Bulldogs, serving as a linebacker on the scout team that simulates each opponent. Georgia had not allowed him to speak with the media until Wednesday, when he told the story of his long road from Columbus to Athens.
He described his injury as damage to the C5 nerve.
“When it first happened . . . the doctor told me I just needed to sit out the rest of the season so I wouldn’t damage my nerve any worse,” Jones said. “So I thought I was healthy and would come back in the spring. But we had a coaching change [Lane Kiffin replacing Pete Carroll], and when the new coaches came in, I got different answers.
“They just told me I had a career-ending injury and they didn’t think I should play any more.”
Jones said he obtained his medical file and sent it to his mother. “My mom sent it out to different doctors” who offered encouragement that he could play again. “So I was, like, ‘I do have a chance. Somebody else sees it different.’” He said he subsequently saw doctors who cleared him to play. When examined by UGA doctors in June, “I passed all my tests,” Jones said.
“I’m 100 percent healthy now,” he said. “I’ve put [the injury] behind me and all the jitterbugs that I had. I was pretty scared about how I was doing, but I’ve put that behind me. And now I’m back to having fun and playing football, something I love to do.”
The Georgia coaches insisted that he ease back into the game during this redshirt season.
“First time I got a chance to play in [preseason] camp, I hit somebody. It was really Day 1,” Jones said. “I just wanted to see where I was. . . . I got in trouble. They wouldn’t let me hit. They put me in a green [non-contact] jersey.
“I started playing scout team, doing that in a green jersey, and I started coming around, just hitting every now and then to see how it was. . . . Eventually they saw me improving and they took me out of the green jersey. Now I’m full-flow scout team.”
Jones said he expects to participate fully in spring practice, and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham expects the same. Grantham said Jones now is “about full tilt” in practice. Grantham said Jones will be an asset at outside or inside linebacker, or both.
“He’s obviously a guy that’s going to help us, and I’m excited that he’s here,” Grantham said. “He’s going to be a guy who makes plays. . . . I’m looking forward to getting him out there in the spring and working with him.”
Said Jones: “Georgia really took me in. Players, coaches, everybody at the University just wrapped their arms around me and showed me the love I needed.”
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70 comments Add your comment
Hayden Thomas
November 18th, 2010
5:58 am
Thats awesome! Another dawg we can show some love!
Jim
November 18th, 2010
6:00 am
great, super great, glad to hear good things, best of luck.
Welcome home
November 18th, 2010
6:00 am
Welcome Home Jarvis! Hopefully other top players will choose to stay home where they will be loved. No other fanbase will support you more than your home state.
claudiahoe
November 18th, 2010
6:05 am
You guys should stop complaining because, one the health care we have now isnt as good as it was supposed to be. also the law has just been signed so give it some time. so if u want to say u have the right to choose tell that to ur congress men or state official. If you do not have insurance and need one You can find full medical coverage at the lowest price check http://ow.ly/3akSX .If you have health insurance and do not care about cost just be happy about it and trust me you are not going to loose anything!
south
November 18th, 2010
6:06 am
I hope he lives up to the hype. We’ll see soon enough.
Saint Simons
November 18th, 2010
6:21 am
(((( 49 – 31 ))))
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Love Mark Richt-Hate Coach Richt
November 18th, 2010
6:58 am
I still can’t make sense of why So. Cal would put so much effort, money and man hours into getting Jarvis to come to their school and then want to end his stay on the team for somewhat obscure reasons.
StuckinAtl
November 18th, 2010
7:05 am
Hey Taint Simons, get real. UGA lost to the #2 team by 18 points. GT lost to a team not in the top 25 by 25 points. Which is worse?
35 – 10
DOUCHEDOUCHEDOUCHE
StuckinAtl
November 18th, 2010
7:09 am
Taint Simons, here’s some more outstanding stats for you.
Victories – South Carolina State, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia, Middle Tennessee
Losses – Kansas, North Carolina State, Clemson, Virginia Tech (#20), Miami
Real impressive
Dawg_Mike
November 18th, 2010
7:29 am
Good to have you back healthy Jarvis. Looking forward to seeing you next season.
jaxdawgfan
November 18th, 2010
7:32 am
LMR-HCR
My guess is that the team didn’t want the potential liability and/or the possibility of losing him to further injury down the road, preferring to use the scholarship on someone who is more of a sure thing… so they told him he was done.
Dawg 1
November 18th, 2010
7:33 am
Not a Kiffin fan, but you have to believe that they would want the kid, if they felt good about his injury. Nothing wrong with being overly cautious.
As for Georgia, I also have to believe that they had this kid checked out six ways from Sunday to make sure he was ok.
And one final thought…
Saint Simons goes under several names. He does this just to tweak everyone. If you didn’t pay attention to the guy or girl – it would go away. He/she clearly doesn’t have a life. I’m mean seriously, your life is pretty pathetic if you have nothing better to do than to get on another school’s blog and bring up the one victory you have had in the last 10 years against your arch rival. Say a prayer for him/her and ignore him/her.
Hunker Down
November 18th, 2010
7:35 am
Glad you came home Jarvis. God has a plan for you and wanted you to come home it seems.
Bulldog59
November 18th, 2010
7:35 am
Let’s hope, without the injury part of the story of course, that Vaughters realizes the same thing during his freshman year at Stanford.
auburn hater
November 18th, 2010
7:35 am
Simon aint, take your 3rd grade education, move out of mommy and daddy”s home, and grow up. Man, just get a life.
POPS
November 18th, 2010
7:40 am
wont help sc better next year ut au an fla all better we will b the same wait 2 more years really
Oscar Gregory Jr
November 18th, 2010
7:40 am
Why di kid’s leave the state of Georgia to play football,!!!! Why make some other state better. 9 out of 10 times after your career is over guess what you will come back to your home state looking for a job,secondly after 3 yrs the other fan base will forget about you, but you home fan base will remember you for ever. Please kid look at your home state school. frist.!!!!
Reality Bites
November 18th, 2010
7:40 am
@ Saint Simons,
I always cringe a little when I read your reminder about the score of the Dawgs latest loss, but then my heart is warmed by all the memories down through the years of Georgia’s ABSOLUTE DOMINATION of Tech. You pathetic sack of crap.
VA DAWG
November 18th, 2010
7:51 am
Good Luck Jarvis! We can’t wait to see you suit up in red & black next year. GO DAWGS!
Dap01
November 18th, 2010
7:52 am
You were meant to be a Bulldawg. And I believe that you are going to be a difference maker.
Cecil Newton
November 18th, 2010
7:57 am
This guy is going to be an absolute BEAST! He will be all SEC before he leaves UGA.
Dawg_Mike
November 18th, 2010
8:05 am
SS- Mommy said its time for a diaper change..unless you want to keep the crap on you the rest of the day. Something tells me you’d like that.
Alan
November 18th, 2010
8:07 am
Personally, I always enjoy Saint Simons’ comments. They’re far more interesting and insightful than dawgtard blatherings.
Jalex49
November 18th, 2010
8:10 am
Welcome home Jarvis. I hope you have a stellar career. I don’t as a fan care as to why you chose another school over Georgia. I do care that you are back and we want you safe, healthy and happy.
I know the players are counting on you. Set an example that you will be proud of and let your talking be on the field not outside of it.
By the way, I don’t know your mom but that” a Georgia dawg” parent. Maybe, she just didn’t know it before. Welcome home mom and son.
Robert
November 18th, 2010
8:25 am
Great to have Jarvis Jones for the LB group next year. Now work on his former HS teammates (Crowell, Wright) and get them to UGA next year.
BirdDog
November 18th, 2010
8:31 am
Can’t wait to see Jones play next year. Hopefully Houston stays for his senior year and they get some beef on the D-line, particularly up the middle.
Bud
November 18th, 2010
8:36 am
Bud from Columbus…. Jarvis, pretend every player you hit is Lane Kiffen. Go out there and reek havok like you did at Carver. Make us proud in Columbus.
FLA DAWG
November 18th, 2010
8:52 am
Finally some good news for a change. Jones will have a full year of scout – team hitting under his belt and could be a real asset.
Now how about some new coaches!?
Saint Simmon
November 18th, 2010
8:53 am
I like guys
Saint Simons
November 18th, 2010
8:58 am
(((((((PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!))))))
I live in my mom’s basement, she’s evicting me tomorrow. Anyone able to take in a 34 year old transgender??
DAWG07
November 18th, 2010
8:59 am
When all is said and done there is no place like home!
GO DAWGS!
Schmeckdawg
November 18th, 2010
9:21 am
I hope he can get his former teammates Crowell & Wright to come get some of that love at The UGA!!!!!!
DuckFan
November 18th, 2010
9:56 am
Guarantee he’ll have at least one arrest within 6 months.
Cecil Newton
November 18th, 2010
9:59 am
I wish I was Jarvis’ dad, I would’ve got him a lil somethin somethin, you know what I’m sayin?….transfers are straight money.
DawginLex
November 18th, 2010
10:03 am
duckfan
This is big boy football talk. SEC football where champions reside.
Your quackers lost to Ohio state in the rose Bowl.
Ohio state is 0-9 vs the SEC in bowl games.
Get back to me after you actually beat somebody
Bo
November 18th, 2010
10:08 am
First off, congratulations on being healthy Jarvis. I am excited that he ended up at UGA. If we can find a Nose, this defense will be awesome!
Secondly, it’s pretty obvious that Kiffin wanted Jarvis’ scholarship to give to someone who wouldn’t be coming off an injury. I guess Kiffin thinks that there are plenty of guys like Jarvis dying to be Trojans. I’d love nothing more than to see Oregon & Stanford start pulling a lot of recruits away from USC.
McDawg
November 18th, 2010
10:10 am
we need Ray Drew big time and we need to find some JUCO players who can play nose and move Jones and Tyson over
YARDDAWG
November 18th, 2010
10:11 am
Hopefully Jarvis’s experience will influence the seniors at CC to come join him at UGA. I really think the future looks bright.
Okefenokee Joe
November 18th, 2010
10:26 am
Saint Simons
Talking crap before a rivalry game sure is fun, talking crap when your favorite team is GT is not Swampwise
Boise would go 4-4 in the SEC
November 18th, 2010
10:30 am
POPS, you mentioned that au would be better next year. If you are referring to Auburn, you couldn’t be further from reality. If there is one team in college football that will be worse next year, it is Auburn. Their entire defense will be gone, and it isn’t a very good defense now, so if there were studs “waiting in the wings” , they would be out there now. Offensively, 4 starters on the line are seniors. Plus, Newton will be long gone. Plus, it might seem minor, but their kicker is a senior who has been around forever.
DAWG3B
November 18th, 2010
10:43 am
anyone know the latest on isaiah crowell?
Ginger
November 18th, 2010
10:47 am
Yay Jarvis….So glad that you are at UGA…..Georgia players playing for their home state. We support you and are behind you 100%….Home cooking tastes mighty good.
DAWG3B
November 18th, 2010
10:53 am
or for that matter any running backs that the dawgs are recruiting? Would like to see a beast running back come in.. btw Glad to have u back Jarvis
BG
November 18th, 2010
10:59 am
Great story! I am so glad you came home Jarvis. The Bulldog nation is behind you 100%.
DuckFan
November 18th, 2010
11:03 am
DawginLex -
UGA’s only claim to national relevancy, just like South Carolina, is being in the SEC. Congrats on your geographic location.
waytogoRicht
November 18th, 2010
11:09 am
Welcome Jarvis! Looking forward to seeing you play for Georgia, with your unique football skills and putting them on display for the bulldogs.
However, you won’t get coached up by Richt or his staff and certainly not by Grantham. That’s based on the evidence observed by this years overall play and resultant record. That doesn’t mean that certain talented self-driven players on the team have not excelled on both sides of the ball. And, I’m sure you will be one of those extraordinary players Georgia desperately needs under the present setup. It’s just that the coaching has been dismal and the program heavily relies on players that are already gifted and/or coach themselves.
shalalalaquandra
November 18th, 2010
11:17 am
WAR CAM CHEATER
radly dawg
November 18th, 2010
11:33 am
“I know it wasn’t my decision coming out of high school.” Who’s was it?????????????????????
Throwing Bones
November 18th, 2010
12:04 pm
There are certain people on these blogs who LIVE off of reactions when they push buttons. Why give the same people who say the same things, every day, exactly what they crave? Don’t allow your buttons to be pushed by fools. Talk the subject and stop throwing bones to those who are desperate for attention.
SECWasteManagement
November 18th, 2010
12:39 pm
Oregon’s claim to fame = Having Nike’s dong to suck on everyday.
Al E. Gator
November 18th, 2010
12:53 pm
HMMMMMM……………….. I wonder where he will transfer to after Richt is fired end of next season.
smoore54
November 18th, 2010
1:55 pm
Truly happy for the guy and hope for great things ahead for him during his career as a Bulldog.
DawginOH
November 18th, 2010
2:15 pm
Welcome home, Jarvis! We look forward to cheering you on next season. GATA!
K-dawg
November 18th, 2010
3:51 pm
The last dawg (with this kind of talent) that played on the scout team and got some exp before he hit the field was Knowshon…Props to you Jarvis for coming home..now get em..
Alabama | MrSEC.com
November 18th, 2010
6:32 pm
[...] 1. Sounds like LSU will take to the air to try to beat the Rebels this weekend.2. Everyone remembers the clock-bungling by Les Miles’ Tigers at the end of last year’s Magnolia Bowl.3. Andy Kennedy’s basketball team whipped Murray State 77-61 last night… in front of an announced crowd of just 5,721. (Come on, Ole Miss fans.)4. Chris Warren’s streak of 46 straight games with a 3-pointer ended last night.5. Mississippi State is 5-1 at home and hoping some that home field magic will kick in against Arkansas on Saturday.6. The Bulldogs will have to prevent the Razorbacks from making big plays.7. Ahmad Black has become a leader for Florida.8. Jeff Demps’ injured foot has caused a lot of problems for the Gators.9. The basketball Gators will be without Alex Tyus (concussion) against North Carolina A&T tonight. (I think they’ll survive.)10. Georgia coaches hope Aaron Murray will be back at practice by Monday.11. The Dawgs recent downturn might have something to do with a dip in pro prospects on the roster.12. Linebacker Jarvis Jones is looking forward to joining the Bulldog squad next year. [...]
Glenn
November 18th, 2010
6:49 pm
Saint Simons, anytime I see that name I ignore it, I dont give him the pleasure of reading anything the idiot has to say.
Roy Wood
November 18th, 2010
7:00 pm
What no complaints about BAMA playing GSU thats all I seen when UGA played Idaho State?
ugab
November 18th, 2010
7:24 pm
Shame on UGA for not keeping you in the state. Welcome home and bring it!
Hunker Down
November 18th, 2010
7:26 pm
Hey Jarvis,
Work on Justin to stay. If you two stay next year it will be time to feed the Dawg! Welcome home friend!
cadawg
November 18th, 2010
7:37 pm
don’t worry about duckboy or taint simons. trolls. oregon is the real deal this year, though; i think they’d blast auburn, with or without ca$h newton.
i think jarvis will be prove to be one of our most important additions, both on the field and for recruiting purposes. if columbus-carver turns into a UGA pipeline, our top 10 classes will turn into top 5 classes. anyway i could see dowtin, samuel, robinson, and jarvis raising some serious hell as ILB’s next year. jones gives us much-needed size. if we can find a real NT to demand a double team, our defense will be miles ahead of where it was this year.
i’m excited about what we can be next year. and yeah, i know “wait till next year” gets made fun of a lot around here, but i can think of a program that isn’t necessarily excited about its future… war damn probation!
Rakkasandawg
November 18th, 2010
8:49 pm
Does anyone know what’s going on with Garrison Smith (sp)? I havent’ heard anything of/from him this year.
destin dawg
November 19th, 2010
8:56 am
Home state heros do feel the love… playing and going to school with friends.. = better success in education and overall results in life after FB… GO Dawgs beat TECH !!!!
bitter "goega fan"
November 19th, 2010
9:57 am
2nd chance for greatness my friend, this football team needs a great leader to rise to the next level, are you up to the task??????????????? good luck, remember the past to succeed in the future.
Stinger
November 19th, 2010
12:29 pm
Did he get to pick his own cell?
DawgByte
November 20th, 2010
3:22 pm
I saw Jones play at SC and the kid is a beast. His potential is off the charts. We need a hitter like Jarvis on our D. We don’t have a single player on D that puts fear into our opponents. That’s got to change next year for us to improve!
Dogdawg
November 20th, 2010
5:07 pm
Welcome HOME!!!!!!!
Hunker Down
November 20th, 2010
5:37 pm
It will be great to see Jarvis wearing the G next year! Good luck and go Dawgs!
mark
November 20th, 2010
7:46 pm
click your cleats together three times and say, “No place like home.” Now go tell Crowell.
bigcalidawg
November 21st, 2010
7:50 pm
“Love Mark Richt-Hate Coach Richt
November 18th, 2010
6:58 am
I still can’t make sense of why So. Cal would put so much effort, money and man hours into getting Jarvis to come to their school and then want to end his stay on the team for somewhat obscure reasons.”
I think CLK saw the writing on the wall and knew they would be on probation at USC. He promised several UT commits (and a couple UGA) that they could follow him to USC.
He needed to clear scholarships, and, if it was a kid that wasn’t his, he needed any excuse to clear-up the scholly.
The man is, if nothing, cutthroat.
Welcome home Jarvis
col fot
November 21st, 2010
11:24 pm
{{{saint simons}}} down on yo knees boy!