Michigan State University Athletics
Detour to Michigan State Helps Greg Jones Find His Way
7/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 26, 2008
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg on July 17
Click HERE to read the entire interview.
When recruits weighing their college options visit Michigan State, linebacker Greg Jones makes sure they hear his story.
Jones was preparing to ring in 2007 when he heard that Glen Mason, the coach who had sold him on Minnesota, had been fired.
Just two days earlier, Jones had watched his future Golden Gophers teammates take on Texas Tech in the 2006 Insight Bowl. When Minnesota blew a 31-point lead and fell 44-41, Jones thought: Too bad. I'll make sure that won't happen on my watch. But Mason's firing changed everything.
"I couldn't believe it. I had to double-check it myself," Jones said. "Then I literally had to start all over and reassess and go through all the schools where I had offers from, who were still offering me. I decommitted from Minnesota. It was a very frustrating time."
Jones' original suitors included both Michigan State and Cincinnati, his hometown school. Michigan State had been his second choice behind Minnesota, but he also liked Cincinnati, which had offered him early and boasted a defensive-minded coach in Mark Dantonio.
By the time Minnesota dumped Mason, Dantonio had left Cincinnati to become Michigan State's coach. It made Jones' decision easy. He committed to play for the Spartans three weeks after Mason was fired.
"I look back on that and I'm really glad I made the decision," he said. "I felt like Coach D and that staff was on the right path to going to bigger and bigger games, bowl games. I felt like I could play in that type of defense. It worked out great."
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