McKINNEY, Texas — Before he was a star at USC and a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ronald Jones was here, just north of Dallas, piling up yards and touchdowns, all the while unaware of how special he was, even as scholarship offers piled up from all over the country.



“Honestly, the whole time he was here, I don’t know if he realized how good he was,” said Mike Fecci, now in his 11th season as head coach at McKinney North High School. “Just one of those guys, you appreciate all the records and all the things he did here, but he was just a very high-character guy. He was not flashy. He was not making it about him. He was such a joy to have around.”



Everything, we’re told, is bigger in Texas, and that’s certainly true of high school football. McKinney North is new enough that it didn’t open until 10 years after “Friday Night Lights” shined a spotlight on the passionate following around...