http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art...T0101/709270358</p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> Demetrius Jones, who was the starting quarterback for Notre Dame's season-opening loss to Georgia Tech, is transferring to UC, coach Brian Kelly said Thursday. Jones will be in school on Monday.</p> Jones, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore, saw no action at Notre Dame as a freshman. He was 1-for-3 passing against Georgia Tech for 4 yards and ran 12 times for 28 yards before being benched. He decided to transfer after he lost his starting job for the Sept. 8 Penn State game.</p> Jones was rated No. 33 by USA Today on a list of the nation's top 100 prep players as a high school senior.</p> He would have to sit out this year and would have three years of eligibility remaining.</p> </div></p> He was on campus yesterday and watched the Bearcats practice. Because of NCAA transfer rules, Jones basically had to go to a school on the quarter system in order for this year to count as his transfer year. The rule is that a player is allowed to enroll up to 12 business days after the start of classes.</p>
More from an updated version of the same article</p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> A month ago, Demetrius Jones was getting ready to start his first game at quarterback for Notre Dame.</p> On Thursday afternoon he walked into University of Cincinnati football coach Brian Kelly’s office and told him that he wanted to play for the Bearcats.</p> “A whole bunch of things took place that weren’t planned,” Jones said. “That’s the way it goes.”</p> <div id="flexad"> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> OAS_AD('ArticleFlex_1'); </script> </div> Jones, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound sophomore from Chicago, was the starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish’s season-opening loss to Georgia Tech.</p> He completed 1-of-3 passes in that game for four yards and ran 12 times for 28 yards before getting benched. He decided to leave Notre Dame after he lost his starting job for the Sept. 8 Penn State game.</p> “It’s a great school,” Jones said of Notre Dame, “a tremendous atmosphere. It’s just unfortunate the way it worked out.”</p> UC coach Brian Kelly said he first learned of Jones’ interest in UC 48 hours ago “when I got a paper on my desk. It was a release from Notre Dame giving us permission to talk to him.” Kelly had a prior relationship with Jones, whom he recruited out of Morgan Park High School in Chicago while he was the coach at Central Michigan. When he contacted Jones, he suggested that Jones visit the UC campus to meet the coaches, check out the facilities and explore the academic opportunities before making a decision. Jones was at UC’s practice Wednesday. “My whole point of going to Notre Dame was the same reason I committed here,” Jones said, “the atmosphere on campus, they’ve got top-notch facilities. They’ve got a head coach who’s been coaching for 16 years, and the offense. I can put some of my best qualities on display. I just think it was a perfect fit.” Jones was a Parade prep All-American at Morgan Park and was rated No. 33 on USA Today’s list of the top 100 prep players in the country. He was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl prep all-star game. “It’s a new day for Cincinnati football,” Kelly said. “We see ourselves as a national recruiting school. That’s how we see ourselves, that we can get these kids to come and play at the University of Cincinnati. “He’s athletic. He can run it and he can throw it. In this day and age, we see that position requires more than a guy who can just drop back (and throw). He has to be able to do things with his feet.” Because UC has no scholarships available, Jones will have to pay his own way at UC, but only for fall quarter. Kelly said UC has four or five seniors who are scheduled to graduate at the end of fall quarter. When one of their scholarships becomes available, it will go to Jones, who will have to sit out this year under NCAA rules for transfers. Jones will face plenty of competition at UC. Junior Dustin Grutza returns next year, along with sophomore Tony Pike, sophomore Craig Carey and freshmen Chazz Anderson and Zach Collaros, both of whom are being redshirted this year. In addition, senior Ben Mauk, the current starter, plans to apply for a medical hardship waiver that could give him another year of eligibility next season.</div></p>
That is a big commitment as Jones will have to pay his own tuition for the fall quarter.</p> The QB situation is going to be interesting. In addition to the guys listed in the article, UC has verbals from two 3 star QB's in Dominick Britt (3* on Rivals) and Brendon Kay (3* on Scout)</p>
Pretty nice coup for Kelly and the Bearcats. I like Jones, I just dont think Weiss had any idea what to do with him. Give him a year to mature, learn a new offense and I think he will become a good QB for Cinci.</p>
