Tennessee QB Signee Sheriron Jones on Challenge Ahead: 'I Love Competition'

When 4-star quarterback Sheriron Jones committed and ultimately signed with Tennessee, it was surprising because the Vols already had two highly rated signal-callers in the 2015 recruiting class.

But it shouldn't have been.

If you get to know Jones, you find out really quickly that his high school days have been filled with competitive situations and challenges. And he has grown to enjoy them.

So, even though his decision to attend UT appeared bizarre on the surface with the Vols having pledges from midterm quarterbacks Jauan Jennings and Quinten Dormady, that didn't even factor into Jones' decision.

"I thrive on competition; I love competition," Jones told B/R from his home in Moreno Valley, California. "It shows my weak points and my strong points, and I can grow on my weak points and get better on my strong points, so I was really happy about that. I'm glad that we have three quarterbacks due to the fact that we only had one [scholarship QB on the roster].

"I'm just looking forward to playing with those guys and seeing what happens. All that matters to me is if my team wins. That's all I really care about. No matter who's playing quarterback, as long as they're helping the team and making the team better, that's all that really matters to me."

Where Jones is from, there's competition everywhere. 

At Rancho Verde High School, which churns out football stars like they're on an assembly line, he played receiver as a freshman on a team that won the CIF Southern Section.

He then moved to quarterback where he started the next three years on teams that lost two championship games by a total of four points and was put out in the second round last year.

As a sophomore signal-caller, Jones said two upperclassman leaders—current UCLA offensive tackle Poasi Moala and Ole Miss receiver Damore'ea Stringfellow—pulled him aside and told him they had his back.

Also, Rancho Verde coach Pete Duffy drove in him, "Don't ever be scared of competition. The older guys who were here always thrived on competition."

Jones had a legacy to uphold, one that he did extremely well throughout his high school career. Now, he'll try to add to the list of Mustangs who had successful college careers and went on to the NFL.

That list includes players such as the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman, Dallas Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith, New York Jets rookie receiver Quincy Enunwa, New Orleans Saints linebacker (and former Florida standout) Ronald Powell and linebacker Eric Martin, who is on the practice squad of the New England Patriots.

Throw in the fact that Jones was part of arguably the greatest quarterback class ever from the state of California, which is known as being a talent hotbed, and there was never a shortage of motivation. 

At camps throughout the country, he saw signal-callers from his home state such as Josh Rosen (UCLA), Blake Barnett (Alabama), Ricky Town (USC) and Brady White (Arizona State), who ranked as the top four pro-style quarterbacks in the 247Sports composite rankings.

Sam Darnold (USC), Travis Waller (Oregon), Jake Browning (Washington), Tyler Hilinski (Washington State), Kyle Kearns (Wake Forest) and Seth Collins (Oregon State) also were Californians who signed with major programs. Barnett was from Jones' hometown, and the two are friends who have now become SEC rivals.

"It was great," Jones said of having such steep competition around him. "We always looked out for one another."

Indeed, Jones' journey to being a Tennessee signee was as circuitous and unexpected as his initial voyage to Knoxville. 

Back in June, a mix-up on his part nearly cost the Vols a chance to sign him. Flying into Nashville with his family on the first leg of a two-visit swing that included unofficial visits to UT and Florida, Jones realized that he was heading to the wrong city.

Oops.

Once landed, the family rented a car and drove nearly three hours on Interstate 40 to Knoxville to visit the Vols, then drove back to catch their flight to see the Gators. Everything was rushed at UT, and after a more laid-back visit to Gainesville, Jones committed to UF on the morning before he flew back to California.

"I went down to Florida and had a little bit more time, so I guess I got a little bit more comfortable," Jones said. "So, I ended up committing.

"Due to all that happening, after decommitting from Florida, I felt like maybe I should have had a little bit more time or checked out Tennessee again because I didn’t have that much time, and I made my decision based off that. In the end, it all worked out. I chose Tennessee, and I'm grateful to be there."

When Florida struggled in 2014 under former coach Will Muschamp, Jones said he had questions about whether he'd made the correct choice, but he felt like he should honor his commitment. Once the Gators fired Muschamp, Jones decommitted.

It didn't take long for him to commit to Tennessee after parting ways with the Gators and a new coach in Jim McElwain who Jones said "didn't recruit me at all." He decommitted on December 6 and pledged to UT on January 8.

Now, Jones will walk into another high-pressure situation and try to lead, much the way he did in high school. He said he isn't concerned about it, because he has done it before. He always had role models in his life such as his father (also Sheriron), who always has been a key figure there for him.

"He always took care of his family, and that helped me be a leader," Jones said. "I was just like, 'Hey, if this man can do it…' A lot of the fathers where I'm from, they don't do it, so I've always looked up to my father."

Another father figure awaits him in Knoxville in UT coach Butch Jones, a man Jones says is "my guy" who he jokes around with all the time, saying they're the "Jones boys." He also can't wait to pick the brain of UT quarterback Joshua Dobbs, a newer role model who, like Jones, made exceptional grades in high school.

There will be plenty of stress, but that's why Sheriron Jones is trying to keep an even keel, and why he'll take his ukulele, an instrument he began playing a couple of years ago with his Polynesian high school teammates.

Those guys moved on to college, but he kept the ukulele, and now he's pretty good at it. Playing soothes him. Between playing everything from Bob Marley to "Party in the USA," Jones is trying to learn a little "Rocky Top" now.

"I started trying to memorize the words and all that. I've looked up the chords and everything, and it's kind of hard," he said with a laugh. "It might sound a little off, but I'll probably try to get that just for everybody up there at UT. They’ll be like, 'Oh my God, he can play Rocky Top on his ukulele! That's amazing!'"

As for football, Jones knows amazing folks on the field may have to wait. His path is blocked by a budding star in Dobbs, and then there is the wide-open competition he'll be mired in once he arrives on campus this summer.

He needs to get stronger, add some weight and wants to be ready before his name is called to trot onto the field.

"Hopefully, I'll win [the backup job]," he said. "I want to win it. I'm going to go out there and do everything I can to win that job.

"But I'm happy that we've got our depth and what we needed for this class. I'm looking forward to getting up there to Knoxville and showing what I was born to do."

All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports composite rankings unless otherwise noted. All quotes obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.