Some schools backed off, but redshirt freshman is earning playing time
By Jay Heater
BERKELEY - Coach Jeff Tedford gets his share of blue-chip recruits, but it might be his ability to dust off desert diamonds such as Tucson's Cody Jones that has Cal rolling along. Playing quarterback, tight end and defensive end in high school, Jones was one of those in-between players who was a confusing sell to Division I-A programs. Where did he project? Would he grow into his frame? Would he improve markedly if he concentrated on one area? Arizona, the struggling program right in his back yard, had little interest in him. "Arizona recruited me," said Jones, who is playing defensive end at Cal. "But not really, if you know what I mean." No university wants to say it showed no interest in a local player who goes elsewhere and then becomes an impact player. A rule of thumb is to fake a little interest in order to save face. Jones, who made the first start of his career last Saturday against Minnesota, said Cal went full blast from the start to land him. "I think they liked the fact that I played quarterback as a junior and that some teams recruited me as a tight end," Jones said.
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