At 6-foot-3, 185-pounds with a 4.4 40-yard dash, Shadow Creek’s Ashton Jones is exactly the type of receiver that new Baylor offensive coordinator Jake Spavital wants.

“He’s a pass first guy and loves his receivers,” Jones said. “I got to take a look at the new offense and it's a great place for a receiver to be right now.”

Jones, a Dave Campbell’s three-star, committed to Baylor on Dec. 24. With offers from schools like Arizona State, Florida, Houston, Oregon, and Washington State, Jones attributes his great relationship with wide receivers coach Dallas Baker as the biggest reason why he committed to the Bears.

“[Coach Baker] recruited me like he was recruiting himself,” Jones said. “He sees a lot of him in me. I like the way he wants to coach me and develop me and get me to the next level.”

But before Jones thinks about the collegiate and professional level, he still has his senior season to prepare for. During his junior year, he reeled in 29 catches for 211 yards with three touchdowns to help Shadow Creek to a 9-2 record. 

Although not eye popping numbers, the position is still relatively new to Jones. He spent most of his playing journey as a quarterback, running back, and even played defense. It wasn’t until his sophomore year that he made the switch to receiver.

“I never thought I was going to be a wide receiver,” Jones said. “I thought I was going to be a quarterback or a linebacker. That’s what I grew up playing, but my head turned around when I got to high school.”

Part of that turnaround was switching his focus from basketball to football. He grew up in a household where everyone played basketball and his older brother Shawn is coming off a NCAA Tournament appearance with Mississippi State.

“My brother is my biggest motivation,” Jones said. “His journey getting to Mississippi State, he dealt with a lot of adversity and kept his down and stayed on the right track. He pushes me to stay on the right track and never give up on my aspirations.”

Although those aspirations changed after getting his first offer his sophomore year, Jones is still a stud on the court. He earned All-District honors as a power forward and helped the Sharks to a 31-3 record, including an undefeated district slate.

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While some may look at the athletic characteristics that Jones carries over from the hardwood to the gridiron, it’s actually the family feeling of a basketball team that he incorporates the most in his game.

“There’s not that many people on a basketball team and it forces you to build a brotherhood and family,” Jones said. “Basketball really helped me bring that mentality to [football], so I push my receiver room to have the basketball family feel.”

Family feeling is big for him. He remembers his favorite visit experience was when he first visited Baylor. The family atmosphere is another big reason why he decided to call Waco home for his college career.

“Literally everyone wore Baylor on their shirt and they all greeted me,” Jones said. “It made me feel like I’m wanted there.”

While he plans on being an early enrollee at Baylor, he’s still focused on staying healthy and helping Shadow Creek win its second state title.