Purdue RB Markell Jones taking next step
Markell Jones has been great on Saturdays.
But on the other days of the week, he’s only so-so.
He’s trying to change that now. The sophomore running back wants to become a better practice player, knowing that what he does now, his preparation, training, repetitions, might turn him to an even better player on game days.
“It was (an assistant) coach the other day who brought up the quote ‘Perfect practice makes perfect,’” Jones said after Purdue’s fifth session on Tuesday. “Perfecting your craft here is a lot better than trying to get it right when you’re heading to the stadium in front of everybody else. Just trying to become more of a practice player, and my leadership is starting to pick up. I’ve kind of tried to take a lead in my room.”
It’s in an effort to turn himself into one of the best in the Big Ten, following a season in which he had 875 yards and 10 touchdowns as a true freshman. Running backs coach DeAndre Smith, who has coached players like Michael Turner, Mikel LeShoure and Garrett Wolfe in previous stops, says Jones has the potential to be in that group.
“You hope a kid can trust you enough to say, ‘Hey, I recognize that you have the potential be pretty good, but you still need to work at it and if you really want to be’ — and he says he wants to be the best in the Big Ten — ‘well, I always say your actions have to match your words,’” Smith said during the summer. “That’s going to be the challenge that way. … He’s going to have to challenge himself — there’s no question about it — to be the best. These other guys will keep pushing him, and we’ll be OK.”
Although Jones’ repetitions have been down so far in camp, as Purdue rolls through its backs in an effort to find it’s primary No. 2 (more on a potential reason for Jones’ reps here), he’s trying to do as much as possible. It’s a challenge to stay mentally checked in, but he’s doing so as best as he can. He’s watching closely as others get their repetitions, paying particular attention to the pass protections, because he says those schemes are different this season.
“I was honestly was getting, not upset but bored because I wasn’t practicing all that much,” Jones said. “But (Coach) told me to stay focused, be a good teammate, help the young guys, bring them along. We basically know what you can do, but get as much out of practice as you can and stay into it. I’m helping out the young guys.”
That’s part of Jones’ growth. As a freshman last season, he was more than willing to sit in the background, not wanting to step into a leadership role. But it’s a must now, particularly as D.J. Knox’s impact is limited, with the junior running back being sidelined with his knee injury.
It’s a step toward become the well-rounded running back that Smith desires.
“(Smith) has talked about the guys who have worked really hard, and they’re more successful because of the way they carry themselves in all aspects of life, whether it be personally or in football, academically, everything else,” Jones said. “I’m just trying to be as multi-purpose as I can. In the classroom, field, leadership.”
Jones will keep pushing forward. He was hesitant to outline his individual goals for 2016, only that he'd like to improve upon last season and to help Purdue win more games. Provided he stays healthy, many think he can get there.
"He has to fight against being complacent, and it’s the difference between good and great," Smith said in June. "He’s a good player. Do you want to be great? Great players really work at it to become that. That’s where he is. But he has a chance to be pretty special. No question about it."
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