By Adam Krohn
When I was in elementary school, one day in class we all stood up and announced what we wanted to do when we grew up. One kid said, “I want to be a football player, and if that doesn’t work out, I’ll lose some weight and become a baseball player.” The adults in the room laughed in an “Aw, that’s so cute” kind of way.
But when you hear former Southeast High standout Marcus Jones state the same goal as a young adult, there’s nothing cute about it.
Now a senior at Duke, the 22-year-old recently completed his collegiate football career for the Blue Devils, demonstrating his versatility by making starts at quarterback, wide receiver and outside linebacker.
Jones, who transferred from Chattanooga’s Baylor School to Southeast for his senior year, played both football and baseball — as well as basketball — for the Raiders.
As a member of the football team, Jones was Mr. Everything for then-Raiders coach Chip Kell, playing quarterback, wide receiver, safety and even punter. He passed for 517 yards, rushed for another 308, recorded 52 tackles, had a punting average of 36.4 yards and was named to the 2004 Daily Citizen All-Area Football Team.
“I remember when he accounted for 349 total yards against Murray County,” Kell said. “He’s that kind of athlete. Tremendous physical ability — he has all the tools. And he excels at everything he does.”
He was just as much if not more of a force on the Raiders baseball team, setting single-season school records in home runs (eight), runs (36), stolen bases (32), hits (33, though Michael Simpson broke the record last year with 36) and doubles (tied with two others at 10) while hitting .452 and driving in 27 runs. He played center field, third base and shortstop and again made all-area.
At the time of high school graduation, scouts from the Mets and Reds showed interest in Jones, but he liked the idea of playing quarterback for a Division I school over life in the minor leagues, so he headed to Durham, N.C., in 2005 with aspirations to one day play in the NFL.
But during his time at Duke, Jones added 40 pounds and grew an inch and a half. Coaches saw that with his size and ability, he could be used at different positions. But because he never stayed in one spot on the field during his college career, NFL scouts have little to work with in terms of film.
That means Jones’ best shot at a pro football career was putting up great numbers at Duke’s NFL pro day in mid-March, where NFL scouts from around the league observe players in the 40-yard dash, the 225-bench press and other football-related drills. Even if Jones posted ideal numbers at pro day, there were no guarantees a team would draft him.
Jones didn’t like those odds and, when discussing his future options with Blue Devils linebackers coach Jim Collins — Jones started at linebacker his senior year under Collins — he became enlightened to another option.
“Coach Collins knew I used to play baseball in high school,” Jones said. “He suggested I try out for the team and see what happens.”
Collins reminded Jones that as an NCAA athlete, he had five years of eligibility to play any sport. That meant that because Jones never played baseball at Duke, and because he never redshirted as a football player, not only could he play baseball his senior year, but could return to Duke next season for his fifth year of eligibility.
“As far as baseball goes, he’s only a junior,” said Collins. “A lot of people told me he was a heck of a baseball player and I knew that because he was such an incredible athlete, he’d have a chance to compete. So I ran the idea by him.”
Following his talk with Collins, Jones headed to the office of baseball coach Sean McNally to discuss a possible tryout. After McNally confirmed Jones’ eligibility, the stage was set for Jones to try and make the team.
But there was a catch.
“The last time I played baseball was as a senior in high school,” Jones said. “I had two days to prepare myself before the tryout. When I got in the (batting) cage, I still had the same swing and the same stance.
“It’s almost like riding a bike in that you don’t forget. It wasn’t like it was perfect, but it didn’t take long to get back into the swing of things.”
And it didn’t take long for the coaching staff to make its decision to name Jones to the team.
But while he adjusts to playing baseball in the ACC, he’s played only sparingly. In Duke’s 16 games heading into today, Jones has appeared in two. But he made the most of two plate appearances, hitting a single in one and drawing a walk and moving around to score in the other.
Jones is still getting big league exposure despite the lack of playing time. After a recent Duke practice attended by MLB scouts, Jones received letters of interest from the Rockies and Royals organizations.
Raiders coach Jason Keller, who talks to Jones two to three times a week, is also using his network to get Jones’ name out. Through playing college baseball at Texas A&M; in Kingsville, Keller has contacts in the Braves, Mets, Mariners and Rangers organizations.
“He certainly has the tools to make it to the big leagues,” Keller said. “Not playing for four years probably makes it a lot tougher, seeing live pitching and those types of adjustments, but if he can come around and make those adjustments, he’s got a chance.”
Because of his commitment to baseball, Jones decided not to participate in Duke’s NFL pro day. Now, his focus is on signing with an MLB team and, if the opportunity comes after this season, he’ll take it, Keller said.
He’ll graduate in May with a degree in biological anthropology and anatomy. If he doesn’t catch on with a big league team after this season, he’ll stay at Duke and work to turn his minor (African-American studies) into a major and play another season of baseball.
At the end of football season, the idea of playing college baseball never crossed Jones’ mind.
Now, baseball is all that is on his mind.
“I feel like a new man,” he said. “Everything about baseball is fun to me — practicing, running. I’m just glad to be out there.”
Adam Krohn is a sports writer for The Daily Citizen.
