Why this Division-I prospect transferred back to play football at Washington

AJ Jones will once again be wearing orange and black.

The Class of 2026 wide receiver has returned to Class 6A state semifinalist Washington after spending the 2023 high school football season at Bolingbrook. He re-enrolled at the Mid-Illini Conference school in November 2023.

“I’ve had family here forever,” Jones said. “I have friends. I know everyone in the crowd. … I kind of love the Washington feel of home and how they treated me. I just wanted to be back.”

Jones' mom took a job in the Bolingbrook area, putting the receiver on a promising Raiders squad that went 7-3 during the 2022 season. He already had a relationship with Bolingbrook starting quarterback Jonas Williams, who was coming off a freshman year where he threw for 2,737 yards and 37 touchdowns. The duo played together on the Midwest BOOM 7-on-7 club football team.

“I kind of felt comfortable knowing at least one person at that school,” Jones said.

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But being a part of a bigger school (Bolingbrook’s IHSA enrollment is listed at nearly 3,350 students) came with some problems feeling comfortable in the classroom.

“It was a way big difference,” Jones said. “The teachers couldn’t even teach because the kids would disrespect them to the point where they can’t even do anything. … As an education point, I was like, ‘I have to go back to Washington.’ I felt comfortable there. I knew what I was doing there.”

As a freshman in 2022, the 6-foot-1, 180-pounder was Washington's top receiver. He caught a team-high 11 balls for 143 yards and tied for a team-best two touchdowns as the Panthers finished 9-3, sharing the Mid-Illini crown with Morton at 6-1.

That production saw a big-time uptick. Jones had 17 receptions for 700 receiving yards and six TDs for Bolingbrook, which started 3-1 and ended the season on a five-game losing streak.

Although Jones has no official scholarship offers, he has received strong interest from several Power 5 programs: Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue, Kansas State, Ole Miss and Michigan have been in contact. Recently, Northwestern reached out to Jones, who holds a 3.3 GPA.

First-year Washington coach Todd Stevens said Jones is dedicating himself to becoming a top priority for colleges, especially because of his commitment to playing with the Midwest BOOM.

"He's doing everything he can to try to put himself in a position where he can play at the next level," Stevens said. "Ultimately, that's his goal. ... He's a football guy. He's trying to do everything he can to put himself in a good spot when he's done here at Washington."

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With Darrell Crouch retiring, Jones, who also expects to play safety, is excited to play under Stevens, the longtime defensive coordinator turned first-time head coach.

“I love him,” Jones said of Stevens. “He’s a great guy. I already have a great relationship with him. … We talked about everything.”

Stevens added, "... We already had that chat (about Jones playing two ways). We're going to have fill some holes on defense and I think he's going to be able to help us out. I think he wants to play on that side of the ball. I think he wants to be on the field as much as he possibly can.

"It's good to have him back. I know he missed his friends and things at Bolingbrook just didn't turned out like he thought it would. ... Obviously, he's quick. He's a heck of an athlete."

Plus, the addition of former Eureka College head coach Kurt Barth, who is taking over the Panthers offensive play-calling duties, to the coaching staff is cause for anticipation.  Barth and Jones have discussed putting his athleticism on full display. Fully expect to see Washington air out a little more this upcoming fall.

“I need to work on run after the catch,” Jones said of what his offseason focus has been, “and probably, I wouldn’t say, flashy plays, but just exceeding myself as an athlete like showing myself I’m on a different level almost. ... That’s what me and coach Barth talked about. … He’s going to give me the opportunity to show that.”

Jones is competing for Washington in track and field this spring, running the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay. he wants to become more of an example to his teammates heading into the 2024 season.

“I want to take (on a leadership) role…,” Jones said, “and be like the team captain and be a voice on my team.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football: AJ Jones transfers from Bolingbrook to Washington