Two and a half months after being on the receiving end of Nick Saban‘s boot, Tyren Jones has found a landing spot.
The head coach at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Rion Rhoades, confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday night that Jones will look to restart his collegiate career at the JUCO. Rhoades stated that he and his coaching staff have been talking to the running back “for a long time,” but it wasn’t until recently that the talks began to significantly heat up.
“He really just wasn’t ready to do anything until about I’d say three or four weeks ago,” the coach told the Journal-Constitution. “We started feeling like he was getting a little more serious, and then two weeks ago, he came out on a visit. He got to see the place in person, and get a feel for our coaches. We’ve got a few guys on campus this summer, and he was able to meet those guys.
“He got a good feel for it.”
In late March, arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree possession of marijuana. Jones was already in Saban’s doghouse at the time, suspended in the middle of February for what was described as “conduct not to the standard of the Alabama football program.” Jones also served a one-game suspension in October of last year.
Just a few hours after his arrest became public knowledge, Alabama announced that he had been dismissed from the football program.
A four-star member of UA’s 2013 recruiting class, Jones was rated as the No. 11 running back in the country. After redshirting as a true freshman, Jones was the Tide’s fourth-leading rusher in 2014 with 36 carries for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
