SMACKOVER -- Smackover's Jordan Jones made it official, signing to play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks Wednesday.
He had anticipated the day for several months.
Jones was among the most celebrated in-state players of the 2016 class.
The 6-3, 180-pound wide receiver verbally committed to Arkansas in June 2014. Jones also played free safety for the Buckaroos.
"Jordan has had an outstanding academic and athletic career at Smackover," Smackover Coach Brian Strickland said. "I know he's going to do wonderful things at Arkansas."
Jones is excited for the next stage of his athletic career.
"It feels good. I've put in a lot of hard work," he said. "It's good to get this out of the way. The pressure is off. I'm ready to get to work for Arkansas.
"It all just felt good. God is good. He gets all the credit. I haven't done anything but follow his lead. It felt like a heavy weight was lifted off of me [when I signed]."
However, the scrutiny wasn't "good," Jones acknowledged.
"I made my decision early, and the pressure of being an Arkansas Razorback commit was tough at first," he said. "However, I got used to it."
To cope with the attention that accompanied being a future Razorback, Jones leaned on his inner circle.
"My family, they helped me out a lot. They always advised me not to focus on what everybody was saying," he said. "I was told to just play football. That's my love, just playing the sport of football."
But choosing to play for Coach Bret Bielema was a decision he was at ease with, Jones said.
"It felt like home. It felt like something I should do -- play for Arkansas," he said. "I really didn't want to play for anybody else. That's why I decided to end it all pretty early."
Jones said he is a proud Arkansan, and he wants to contribute to the future of the Razorback football program.
"That was a big factor in me choosing Arkansas. I watch all the games. I used to picture myself being in those Arkansas games," Jones said. "I used to watch the players like Darren McFadden. In fact, I want to follow in his footsteps. He's an in-state guy from Little Rock, and he played at Arkansas. I really just wanted to help Arkansas win."
Sports on 02/04/2016