During spring practice, Gophers coaches said the football acumen of freshman Jeff Jones was a big reason they started practicing the tailback as a slot receiver. Yet it was a special-teams drill that showed how quickly Jones has been able to pick up the college game.
The four-star recruit from Minneapolis Washburn was blocking on the return team and had to sprint back 10 yards to meet the first would-be tackler. Jones didn't waste a step, and was back in time to place his hands on the breast plate of the opponent's shoulder pads and drive him out with the ease.