CHEBOYGAN – Anytime you saw Tommy Jones on a high school football field, he was a massive presence.
He was also one of the best two-way players as an offensive and defensive lineman for the Cheboygan Chiefs.
But while his high school career ended abruptly last fall after a season-ending knee injury, the football journey is far from over for Jones, who will get his chance at the next level.
On Wednesday afternoon, along with family, coaches and others inside his high school auditorium, Jones made everything official by signing to continue his career at Northern Michigan University.
“I’m very relieved since it has been a very long process,” said Jones, the son of Roderick and Stephanie Jones. “It was pretty stressful for me at times. There were a few other colleges that I was thinking about, some of the main ones like Hope and Alma, and it felt like they really wanted me there, but I felt Northern was just the best fit for me.”
Following surgery on his knee not too long ago, Jones made a trip to the NMU campus for a visit. Like a certain professional football team in this state, he believes the Wildcats are on the up and up as a program.
So, he wanted to be a part of it.
“I kind of look at it as sort of like they’re the new Detroit Lions, where they are a family and grit and all about that,” Jones said of NMU. “They all want to be a part of the team and they all want to work together.”
During his final season at Cheboygan, Jones starred on both lines, earning All-Area first team honors defensively. Unfortunately for Jones, his knee injury came on homecoming night, and he never played the rest of his senior campaign.
But now, Jones is in a much better state physically than he was several months ago and looks forward to building a career with the Wildcats.
“I’m feeling pretty good now,” Jones said. “I felt like I was doing well before (my knee injury) ended my season, but through bowling, I did well in bowling, and baseball I’ve helped coach, but I think I’m going to be bigger and stronger when I recover from this. Most freshmen generally do redshirt without an injury just so they can keep that year of eligibility, but I think me having it right now will help me get used to the college life and the team and workouts and everything.”
Jones is the most recent Chief to sign to play at the next level. Back in February, senior twins Beau and Gauge Ginop committed to Adrian College.
Just like when the Ginops signed, Cheboygan head coach Dave Schulz was thrilled to see another one of his players commit to the next level.
“As a high school football player, (Jones) always came in and wanted to get better,” said Schulz. “One of his greatest strengths is improving from year to year. He’s gotten better every year in high school, but I think his best football is still ahead of him. His next year in college, the year after that, he’s going to continue to grow into himself and be a great player, so I look forward to it and as I mentioned, it’s a great challenge.
“There’s only a select few people who get to go play college football, and a smaller select that go to play Division 2, and being that it’s going to be at Northern Michigan University, it’s just super exciting. I’m proud of his hard work and I’m looking forward to where he takes it at Northern.”
For someone who worked with Jones for years, Schulz knows the NMU coaches will be getting a player who wants to work and battle every single day.
“He’s a kid that’s just hungry to get better, wants to improve, wants to perfect his technique, wants to be the best at his position, and he’s willing to put in hard work,” Schulz said. “I think they’re getting a kid that is going to grow and get better every year and be a very contributing member of that football team as time goes on.”
Jones said he’s excited to join a program that competes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), which features current defending NCAA Division 2 national champion Ferris State as well as Grand Valley State, which has won national titles in the past.
“It’s the best Division 2 conference in the nation because you just look at Ferris State,” Jones said. “Northern (Michigan) had Jake Witt, who was drafted in the seventh round to the (Indianapolis) Colts this year, so they’ve got guys that are looking up there. It’s kind of my ultimate goal to get to the NFL, but I’ve got to start taking steps towards that.”
Jones looks forward to representing Cheboygan at the college level, but he’ll also miss his time as a member of a Chiefs program he loved being around.
“I think it’s pretty cool to be one of the first couple people who are getting to the higher level and starting to bring people or look at our program and everything, because I know we’ve got some talented guys here,” Jones said. “I’ve enjoyed (playing for this program) quite a bit because it’s been pretty fun, because I’ve gotten to play with my friends and everything, and we just go out there and have a fun time.
“I don’t like to dwell on the past much for most things, but I think I’ll kind of miss being out there on Fridays.”
Jones said he intends to major in computer science while at NMU.