2024 OLB Cayden Jones talks first Tennessee gameday experience
2024 linebacker Cayden Jones from the Christ School in Arden, North Carolina wanted to check out the Vol Walk before Saturday’s game between Tennessee and Pittsburgh, but wasn’t able to make it to Knoxville in time.
Still, Jones was able to see everything else he wanted to on the trip and walked away very impressed from his first gameday experience on Rocky Top.
“I had never been to a game at Tennessee before and it was cool to see Neyland,” Jones told VolQuest. “It was cool to see the fans and how crazy they were — the environment was cool. I got to talk to the coaches before and after the game, so that was nice. They showed a lot of love.
“There wasn’t really a message, it was just kind of catching up, asking me how my season was going, asking how my family is, talking to my Dad because that’s a big part. We talked a little bit about their gameplan. It was just good talking about football.”
Tennessee defensive back coach Willie Martinez left the biggest impression on the 6-foot-4, 205-pound defender from just across the state line.
“Coach Martinez was talking to me and my dad about sports in general and how it ties into everything,” Jones explained.
“Basically the mindset he has being a coach is the mindset he has being a father and a husband. That was cool talking to Coach Martinez because it was just an honest mindset and it was cool hearing his thought process.
“They’re just really good people. I feel like they’re family people. (Linebackers) Coach (Brian Jean-Mary), I got to talk to him after the game. He knows his stuff and I feel like he would be a really, really good coach for me. I could tell that in his film studies, he’s really, really smart. He knows his stuff and they all seem like really good coaches, really good guys.”
Tennessee was the first school he’s seen play this season. Jones is primarily focused on winning a state championship ring instead of setting up visits, but the Vols, South Carolina, Pittsburgh and Virginia are the schools standing out most to him right now.
In June, he visited Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Ohio State. On his second visit to see the Vols, he was impressed despite UT losing 41-34 to Pitt.
“I really thought Tennessee was the better team,” Jones said. “I really liked the linebacker play because I play linebacker. I really liked how Jeremy Banks played even though he had the unnecessary roughness. I just like the way he plays and how physical he is.
“I really think Tennessee was the better team, and it was unfortunate the starting QB got hurt. But Tennessee has good coaches and it was kind of like Heupel’s first game. They’re still learning. Pitt’s a really good team, too.”
Jones wasn’t able to perform for UT’s coaching staff back in June when he visited for a camp, but he believes Tennessee likes him at outside linebacker, though they haven’t really talked about it.
“I would definitely think outside linebacker or that nickel position,” Jones said. “I wasn’t able to perform at their camp because I pulled my quad the day before at baseball, but based off my film, I would imagine they like my physicality, how aggressive I am, my length and my speed at my position.”