The ongoing summer competition between Texas Longhorns players to win one of three divisions in the “Battle for the Belts” produced a win in the lightweight division for freshman safety Brandon Jones this week.
I do it for East Texas! Lightweight champ. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/A77GW0Hga2
— Brandon Jones (@BlessedJones33) July 15, 2016
Previous winners in the lightweight division include senior cornerback Sheroid Evans and sophomore nickel back PJ Locke.
The fact that Jones could walk onto campus and immediately win the belt against a host of high-level athletes speaks to how hard he worked on his strength and conditioning before arriving at Texas.
The picture certainly tells the story — the 5’11, 192-pounder has matured into an impressive-looking prospect whose functional strength matches his physique.
Because Jones is known as an athletic, physical prospect with the mental intangibles to maximize his talent with the Longhorns, the short-term outlook for his ability to contribute is positive despite the need to quickly pass older players like sophomore John Bonney and senior Kevin Vaccaro.
For most players fresh out of high school, that’s a difficult projection to make, but Jones isn’t most prospects — he’s the No. 1 safety in the country and the No. 40 player overall.
Now there’s proof that he’s already making his presence felt. As expected.