Kyle Neddenriep

kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com

The more Caleb Jones assessed his recruitment, the more he felt like there was no longer any reason to wait.

The Lawrence North all-state offensive lineman made it official on Tuesday, committing to Indiana.

“Through my recruiting process it seemed like every school and every offer that I got, I was comparing them to IU,” Jones said. “When I sat down and thought about it, it was the best offer I had. I just felt really good about it.”

The 6-9, 380-pound Jones also had offers from Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Miami (Ohio) and Purdue. He is a three-star recruit by 247sports.com and the No. 11 in-state prospect in the 2017 class. Jones is the fifth recruit for the Hoosiers within the borders, joining Avon’s Bryant Fitzgerald, Ben Davis’ LeShaun Minor, Carmel’s Britt Beery and Tri-West’s Peyton Hendershot.

Jones said he was hearing heavily from Illinois in addition to the other schools that had offered.

“Recruiting was pretty slow at this time, though,” he said. “As far as other schools showing interest, I wasn’t hearing too much. But I felt like I probably could have had more offers during the season.”

Jones was named a top-50 player by the Indiana Football Coaches Association last year, one of just seven non-seniors named. He also was recognized as All-Marion County and first-team Associated Press All-State.

Indiana now has 13 commits for the 2017 class. Jones is the second offensive line recruit.

“IU liked that I’m a big guy who can move,” he said. “They like that I give 100 percent effort.”

Jones said offensive line coach Greg Frey was his main contact at Indiana but there were a combination of coaches recruiting him. The IU staff has told Jones they’d like to see him come to Bloomington weighing 345 pounds.

“IU started recruiting me when I was a freshman and I made a ton of visits,” he said. “I’ve only been to three or four games but I plan on going to as many games as I can this year.”

Another benefit of committing early is that Jones can now focus on his senior season at Lawrence North. The Wildcats were 3-8 last year, but are hopeful for a big season in 2016.

“I can focus on my team and hopefully we can make it to the state finals this year.” Jones said. “Instead of focusing on recruiting, the team is my focus.”

Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Follow him on Twitter: @KyleNeddenriep.

Lawrence North's Caleb Jones is the next big thing