Shameen Jones, Rutgers Football News: Draft Scout Player News

08/18/21 - WR Shameen Jones, rSr/2023, Rutgers

Shameen Jones was a largely-forgotten member of a perennially-underachieving position group when Greg Schiano was re-hired at Rutgers roughly 20 months ago. Most players would have been on the fast track for the transfer portal in similar circumstances. But when Schiano promised the entire program a blank slate, Jones took it to heart. "When I arrived here, the opinions of Shameen were not super high," Schiano said. "But I just watched him in our workouts until we got shut down, and I thought he did everything really well." Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. But Jones' momentum did not slow, even if Schiano could not see the progress. That realization did not come until the Scarlet Knights returned to campus after three months away, when the coach walked down the tunnel from the Hale Center into SHI Stadium and barely recognized the former Cardinal Hayes star.

Jones looked bigger and stronger. When drills began, he proved he was faster and better. A remarkable career revitalization was well underway. Jones managed just two catches for 15 yards on one of the most talent-challenged teams in school history in 2019, but he was Rutgers' comeback player of the year in 2020, hauling in 34 catches for 378 yards and three touchdowns while starting all nine games. Now the Scarlet Knights are looking for Jones' true breakout campaign as they aim to take the next step as an offense and earn a bowl bid for the first time since 2014. "This is the best football I've ever played," Jones said. "[Schiano] has always pushed me to a higher level, even when sometimes I'm not at the standard he wants me to be. He finds different ways to get things out of me, push me to go harder." - Star Ledger

rSr/2023