SMACKOVER -- Jordan Jones strolled down the hallway at Smackover High School to meet a reporter in the school office in early May.

Jones was in great spirits, happy to be called out of class on the second-to-last day of school, and he ambled past newspaper clippings and decorations on the walls celebrating accomplishments and standout performers at Smackover, such as football great Clyde Scott and basketball star Jonathan Modica.

Jones was in no great rush, unlike a couple of days earlier when he won the 100 meters at the state track meet with a Class 3A record 10.75 seconds, or like the time he dropped a hand-timed 4.34 in the 40-yard dash at an Arkansas football camp in June of 2014.

"I don't know where that came from," Jones said. "That 4.34, it was crazy."

That crazy 40 time and Jones' skills as a receiver and skill athlete earned the Buckaroo an early scholarship offer from Arkansas. His quick acceptance made Jones the first commitment of the Razorbacks' incoming signing class.

Receivers coach Michael Smith was one of two Arkansas coaches holding timers that day at camp.

"Everybody was like, 'Well, you gave it to him coach,' and I was like, 'Well, that coach didn't give it to him.' It was legit, and it was something that made us really excited to have him become a Razorback.

"He adds another dimension that Dominique Reed has added to our program with his speed. I've had him in camps before, but now to have him in the stable as one of our own is a big plus for our room."

Smackover Coach Brian Strickland said Jones, 6-2, 180, battles on every snap.

"He works hard, works for everything," Strickland said. "He's a winner, and he's going to bring that to Fayetteville with him.

"Speed-wise, you don't realize it, but he takes two steps and he's covered almost 10 yards the way he runs. He runs people down."

Jones played all over the field at Smackover, including quarterback, cornerback and safety. He was also used as the part-time punter.

Once, when the Buckaroos were backed up in their territory in a game against Fouke, Jones had the punting assignment.

"He was literally at the back of the end zone and I think the punt covered 52 yards," said David Preston, who was a game-day assistant last year after serving as Smackover's defensive coordinator and receivers coach through Jones' junior season. "Jordan made it down the field and tackled the guy for a 2-yard loss. In the press box, they announced he made the tackle, which didn't make any sense, but he did."

Preston, now the Buckaroos basketball coach, said Jones dunked in the eighth grade and showed he had major college athletic potential as early as the seventh grade.

"To see him run on the football field, you can tell he's got another gear," Preston said. "We all knew how fast he was, but then every once in a while he'd take off and nobody could get close to him. Kids like that are special, when they have the ability to just run, jump, catch. He has the whole package."

Arkansas' in-state recruiting specialist Barry Lunney Jr. said Jones fit the mold of a sophomore who projected as someone the Razorbacks intended to offer, even before he ran the blazing 40 in camp.

"He's got all the attributes that you look for in an SEC-level wide receiver," Lunney said. "It was easy for us to recognize that at a very early age for him. He came to camp, showed out, it was a no-brainer that day. And he's been a true, loyal Razorback."

By that, Lunney means Jones stuck with his early pledge despite strong recruiting pitches from major SEC players, including a visit to Smackover by Alabama Coach Nick Saban, who wanted Jones to attend the Crimson Tide's junior day.

Jones turned down the offer from Saban.

"I want to do great, not only for myself, but for my family, for this town," Jones said. "It's been a long, long time since we've had somebody playing college sports on a big D-I level."

Jones will room with fellow offensive skill athletes T.J. Hammonds, Devwah Whaley and Kofi Boateng.

"We went to the coaches, and we're thankful they put us together," Jones said.

Jones said he also was happy to see the offensive schemes displayed last fall by first-year coordinator Dan Enos.

"He's a real smart coach, and you can tell he's getting people into open spaces and he's got receivers running throwbacks and things like that," he said. "He's balanced. When you can have a 1,000 yard rusher and still figure out a way to have nearly a 1,000 yard receiver, too -- Drew Morgan had 800-something yards and 10 touchdowns -- then you're pretty balanced."

Jones was targeted by the opposition every Friday night the past two seasons, so his statistics are not overwhelming.

"My 10th grade year, nobody knew who I was, so I was able to catch balls and do whatever I wanted to do," Jones said. "Now you've got this Razorback recruit or commit with a name and everybody wants to guard you. I think it made me better, made me a little more patient, made me work on my game as a whole, rather than just running deep routes. It made me block more.

"I had to run shared routes with people, and I'm running routes to get other people open. It taught me patience and that there are ways to affect the game other than getting the ball."

Jones' frustration level was high early last season, when Smackover lost its first two games.

"There was a lot of pressure on me and I wasn't having fun with it anymore," he said. "I was just wishing I could be a regular kid. I had to realize that this is what I always wanted to do and you've got to be the man now, I guess. That's what you said you wanted to be, so now you've got to do it.

"So once I started having fun again and realizing that it's just a game. ... I had a good senior year. It was great. I got to spend time with my friends for the last time."

Sports on 07/10/2016