Alabama has yet to put the finishing touches on the 2011 season, but that hasn’t prevented the Tide from already stuffing a future personnel win in its hip pocket.
Barrett Jones, the Tide’s consensus All-American left tackle, announced Friday that he will return to Tuscaloosa for another season instead of making himself available for the April NFL draft. The decision doesn’t exactly constitute a surprise, but making it officially official ahead of the Jan. 9 championship game eliminates one potentially unnecessary distraction for ‘Bama.
“I have decided that I will be coming back to Alabama next year,” Jones said in quotes distributed by the school. “I sat down with my family and made a list of pros and cons and decided I love college, I love being at Alabama and I love putting on the crimson jersey. I have a great group of friends, and I am in no hurry to get to the NFL. I do want to play in the NFL one day but I am not in any rush.”
Jones started 10 games on the left side of the Tide’s line this season, and was named the winner of the 2011 Outland Trophy earlier this month. He’s started 35 games in a Tide career that will now officially extend beyond the BcS title game next month.
