Although he grew up just an hour from campus, Ohio State junior right tackle Dawand Jones revealed on Wednesday evening that Purdue did not offer him a scholarship coming out of high school.
“They offered me a walk-on (opportunity), so I’ve just taken that personally,” Jones said during his media availability at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. “I’ve just been putting in (extra work) this week and just since I saw the game on our schedule, it’s been a major topic for me.”
Jones, who attended Ben Davis High School on the west side of Indianapolis, was just a three-star prospect whose first love was basketball. But his size – at 6-foot-8 and 360-pounds – made him one of the nation’s more intriguing players in the 2019 recruiting cycle.
Teams like Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Texas and USC all threw their hat in the ring before Jones ultimately picked Ohio State.
“It hurt my feelings a little bit, just knowing I’m a home-state kid,” Jones said. “I just took it as an ‘L,’ and just put it back into my grind. I was nothing too special (to them), I guess.”
Now in his first year as a starter, Jones is considered one of the nation’s premier offensive tackles, particularly when it comes to run blocking. He’s also consistently graded out a champion for the Buckeyes, including after last week’s game against Nebraska, though he missed the first two offensive series due to a pregame illness.
“It definitely lit me up,” Jones said. “It plays in my mind all the time, no matter if it’s this week, last week or the week before. Just know that’s in the back of my head. That’s what they did, that’s what they decided to do, and I just have to keep working as hard as I can.”
You have to imagine the Boilermakers, who head to Columbus this Saturday (3:30 p.m. on ABC) would like to have that one back.
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