LB Carter Jones commits to Arizona: 'I like the coaching staff and the atmosphere'

Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Crean Lutheran linebacker Carter Jones committed to Cal in December of last year, and after being committed to the Golden Bears for over 10 months, he backed off that pledge earlier this week.

The 6-foot, 210-pound three-star has committed to Arizona. As soon as Brent Brennan took over in Tucson, he started recruiting Jones. Danny Gonzales was the lead recruiter

“They never stopped recruiting me, even though I committed to Cal,” Jones told On3. “I wasn’t too serious [about flipping] until after my official visit this past weekend. I always knew Arizona was a great place and I liked the coaching staff and atmosphere. It was a super hard decision for me, but getting to see it on the official visit just made me realize that I wanted to go there.”

Cal did nothing wrong. The in-state program recruited Jones hard and made him feel welcome on campus. Arizona’s persistence made an impact on him.

“It was coach Brennan talking to me every week and coach Gonzales doing the same. The Arizona staff sent me hand written notes every week. They really made me feel wanted. Things turned up when I accepted an official visit and got to meet the players and spend a lot of time with the staff. Just seeing all of the alumni and the students and fans, the atmosphere was amazing.”

After the official visit, Jones went back home to think things over. He came to the conclusion earlier this week that Arizona is where he wants to be.

“The college town atmosphere and the support of the students and the fans and their love for Arizona football were big reasons why,” Jones added.”Coach Brennan and coach Gonzales were factors too. Coach Brennan really worked hard to build a relationship with me. He respected that I was committed to Cal but never stopped recruiting me. Seeing what he did at San Jose State and getting to know him and his family personally created a huge bond between us.

“Then really getting to know Coach Gonzales and his family and talking through where they see me fitting into their defense and my aggressive style of play was what he wanted. Meeting his family and spending time with him made me realize how much I not only liked him as a coach but also respected him as a person.”