Connor Jones’ path to Michigan, outlook for 2022

There are two things Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines seem to look for in each offensive line recruit: size and smarts. Former three-star Connor Jones comes to Ann Arbor from Colorado at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds.

Jones has been a Wolverine for a long time. He committed on Christmas Eve of 2020 and is finally coming onto campus with the rest of the 2022 class. As the No. 1,012 recruit in the class, Michigan was the top program to show interest in him. West Virginia, Northwestern, Indiana and Colorado State also had offers for the No. 6 prospect in Colorado.

Here’s what Harbaugh had to say about him when introducing the 2022 class:

He’s long, tall — just what you want your tackles to look like. He’s a heck of a good player and a really good student. His core GPA is right there in the mid-threes. That’s where you take out the electives … this isn’t gym class, not the electives. It’s the core classes, the honor classes and the AP classes. You want your offensive linemen smart. If not, they can get a quarterback or a running back killed.

A varsity starter for three years in high school, Jones helped his team to a 28-5 record and a 2019 Class 3A State Championship. In total, he allowed three sacks in those 33 games. Jones will add to a winning culture at Michigan.

Outlook for 2022

Jones actually committed back in the Ed Warriner days, but he did have a budding relationship with Sherrone Moore. Now as the co-offensive coordinator, Moore may have a role for Jones somewhere down the road.

For now, expect Jones to redshirt in 2022 and get that extra season of experience under his belt. There are plenty of young offensive tackles in the program who have gone through a similar path. Let’s hope Jones is a diamond in the rough and works his way into a starting role at some point.