Leighton Jones discusses his decision
Offensive lineman Leighton Jones is going to be a Hawkeye. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Indiana native announced his verbal commitment to the Iowa coaching staff today just a few days after picking up a scholarship offer. We caught up with Jones to talk in-depth about his decision, his future as a Hawkeye, and much more.
Q: First, what would you say made up your mind and led to the decision to commit to Iowa?
JONES: It was a no brainer. My relationship with Coach Barnett and Coach Bell throughout the whole process was terrific. They were 100% honest and transparent the whole time. Another thing making me comfortable was how Iowa is known to develop guys into NFL-ready players and All-Americans. On top of that, I'll have an opportunity to play in the Big Ten and even play for Big Ten championships. I feel like the culture there and the way the program is run just fits perfectly into what kind of player I am and what kind of player I want to be.
Q: What made you decide to do it right away instead of maybe waiting to see who else might offer once Iowa did?
JONES: I didn’t want to wait on other offers because honestly I was waiting on Iowa. After that, Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern and Illinois were all in contact quickly along with Purdue that offered right away.
Q: Could you tell us about the calls you made to the coaches when you committed and their reaction?
JONES: First off, I told Coach Barnett I wanted to be a Hawkeye and play in Iowa City. He was just as pumped as I was. Since then, we’ve just been talking about how excited we are and when I was going to announce and how. I also texted Tyler Barnes and Coach Bell and they were fired up as well. Later that night, I got the chance to talk to Coach Ferentz and it was such a surreal moment. Being able to have a conversation with one of the longest tenured coaches and still having a contract extension was another reason - the coaching stability. We talked about wrestling and how that benefits you on the football field and how they have a history of putting linemen in the NFL of course. I told him I wanted to be a Hawkeye and he said I made his day, which was another very sweet moment.
Q: What would you say Iowa is getting in Leighton Jones? How would you describe your playing style and skill set?
JONES: They are getting a guy who will do anything I can in order to win and a guy that will work as hard as possible. My playing style fits them because it’s a ton of hard-nosed, humble guys brought in by the coaches to the program.
Q: What is the feeling like for you now that the decision has been made?
JONES: It feels like such an relief. Ever since my freshman year, Iowa has been my top school. so being able to lock in on one school and now recruit some other guys to be able to play with me is something I wanted to do as well.
A three-star prospect, Jones chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Purdue, Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Ohio, Kent State, Miami-OH, Toledo, Western Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, and Illinois State.
Overall, Jones is the sixth commitment for Iowa, joining quarterback Marco Lainez, wide receiver Alex Mota, defensive tackle Maddux Borcherding-Johnson, defensive end Chase Brackney, and linebacker Ben Kueter in the Class of 2023 for the Hawkeyes.
See highlights from Jones' junior year at Brownsburg High School in the video below.