[CleveBucks]

Committed to Wisconsin:

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/spor...=31180&ntpid=4

UW FOOTBALL: Ohio delivers again; Randle El suspended
00:00 am 3/08/05

Tom Mulhern Wisconsin State Journal

Coach Barry Alvarez said on signing day that he wanted to concentrate the University of Wisconsin football team's recruiting efforts in areas where UW has had the most success, such as in Ohio.

That decision appears to be paying dividends with an oral commitment from wide receiver Daven Jones, from Glenville High School in Cleveland.

That's the high school that produced wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who made a big splash as a freshman this past season at Ohio State. It's also where former UW receiver Chris Chambers started, before transferring to Bedford, Ohio.

Jones (6-foot-1, 190 pounds), who also plays cornerback, is a track standout who broke some of Ginn's track records in junior high school. He attended UW's recruiting day for juniors on Saturday.

"He wanted to get it out of the way, so he can concentrate on his school work and not go through all that recruiting process," Glenville football coach Ted Ginn Sr. said of Jones' commitment.

"He's always wanted to go to Wisconsin, because of Chris Chambers, who went here before he went to Bedford. Just trying to keep that Cleveland-Wisconsin thing going."

According to the elder Ginn, Glenville had eight NCAA Division I recruits this year and seven last year. He thinks it could have as many as 10 next season. The Badgers apparently have offered scholarships to three other players: Raymond Fisher and Raymond Small, both wide receiver-cornerbacks, and tight end-defensive end Robert Rose.

Jones, who has been on the varsity since his sophomore year, caught 29 passes for 461 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and was part of the 400-meter relay team that won the Adidas national track and field championships last year.

"He's going to be a great one," Ginn Sr. said. "He's got great speed and size. He's a great kid and he's going to be a great player."

Jones is the second junior to commit to UW's 2006 recruiting class, joining offensive tackle Jake Bscherer, from Sturgeon Bay, who likely will be the top-ranked senior in the state this year.

Getting a commitment this early from Jones could not only help UW in its efforts to land some other Glenville players, but also in the rest of Ohio.

Alvarez said one of the reasons he wanted to focus on Ohio is most of the players the Badgers have signed from there have turned out to be quality players, led by Chambers and former wide receiver Lee Evans, who is also from Bedford.

The key to landing those players has been wide receivers coach Henry Mason, who recruits the state for UW and has a strong relationship with coaches such as Ginn Sr.

Asked if UW had a good shot at landing some other Glenville players, Ginn Sr. said, "No question."

In fact, Ginn Sr. sees no reason why UW can't recruit with anyone, including Ohio State, for the top players in the state.

"Our kids have been successful at Wisconsin, so I think they have the same opportunity (here) as anybody else, to get players," he said.