Virginia Tech Signing Day capsule 2021: Jaylen Jones

Jaylen Jones was one of Virginia Tech's first commits in the 2021 class, and he's one of the first to fax his Letter of Intent.

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5.4 three-star. Unranked nationally or at his position. No. 27 prospect in Virginia.

Appalachian State, Boston College, Buffalo, Duke, East Carolina, Liberty, Marshall, Old Dominion, Pitt, Virginia, Wake Forest, William & Mary

As soon as Virginia Tech offered, the Hokies were the heavy favorite for Jones. He had a number of other local and ACC offers, but the pull of the home-state Hokies (and the ability to play at the highest level) beckoned. The March offer was key, especially since it came on the heels of a Junior Day visit.

He narrowed his list to five schools - Boston College, East Carolina, Pitt, and Wake Forest joined VT - in mid-April. By the time he committed in May, Pitt was the only other serious contender, with the other three programs falling well behind that top duo. He picked Virginia Tech May 20 over the Panthers.

He has remained steadfast in his commitment, and plans to enroll in January.

Jones has solid speed at the high school level, and has a very good jab step at the line to get outside of his defender, and then on top of him to get deep. When he does get deep - or even when he doesn't need to because of the route he's being asked to run - he adjusts to the ball in the air extremely well.

Overall, Jones is a solid slot receiver prospect who could also play on the outside with a little added strength and technique. He's unlikely to be a major game-breaker, but can be a productive player from multiple positions. He's also far from a finished product, so getting into the type of strength training, nutrition, and coaching that he'll receive in college could see him make major strides. Seeing the breadth of areas in which he can make strides, though, also indicates that he may take a year or two to be ready.

Jones caught 76 passes for 1,369 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior. With Virginia delaying the football season into Spring, he will not have a senior year if he follows through on his plan to enroll mid-term.

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