Florida 2025 DE Eli Jones having breakout season
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Playing among a group of future collegiate talents at every level on the field, it can be hard to stand out but Eli Jones (6-4, 245) is making it happen. Everything is clicking for the junior defensive end as Venice High School (Fla.) rides a six-game winning streak ready to make another run to the state title game.
Jones has been putting his stamp on the Indians’ defense in 2023 being among the leaders in tackles (68), solo stops (42), tackles for a loss (6.5), sacks (5), and quarterback hurries (5).
Venice’s coaches have Jones moving around the defensive front.
“Our season is going really well,” Jones said. “We are 6-2, we are rolling right now. We do a lot of blitzes and stunts, which is nice for me. They have me moving around; it confuses the offensive linemen a lot because they don’t expect it.”
No. 10 Eli Jones
An offseason of hard work is allowing Jones to live rent free in the opposition’s backfield this year.
“My pass rush definitely has improved,” Jones shared. “I am getting to the QB on almost every play, which is really helpful. My hands have improved. I am getting of blocks easy.”
Jones continued covering his growing abilities, “I am using my speed to get past offensive linemen. I am more athletic than them, that helps me. Being prepared for every game, coach (Larry) Shannon always has us in film. We get scouting reports each week, being prepared helps a lot.”
Asked which game was his best this season, Jones replied, “My best game, I think it might have been Armwood or Riverview. I made a lot of tackles and made hard plays. I may have had two sacks in both of them.”
Holding an offer from Florida A&M, Jones covered the programs finding him amid his breakout campaign.
“I got a follow by a recruiter from Georgia Tech on Twitter the other day, a Duke coach, FAU (Florida Atlantic), and one of Charlotte’s coaches DM-ed me on Twitter,” Jones said. “There are others. Hopefully I will get to talk to them soon.”
The family feel accompanied Jones when he visited the Owls on a game-day.
“I went to FAU to watch my brother (TE – Fin Jones),” Jones stated. “I talked to their strength coach and to their tight ends coach. It was good. It was fun. I like their school, their stadium, their fanbase, and the coaches there.”
Venice has regular season games scheduled against IMG Academy White and Clearwater Academy International before jumping into playoff action.
*Click the link for RNG’s May 12 interview with Eli Jones.