Cardale Jones is keeping his word.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback held a press conference in 2015 after heroically leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national championship as their third string quarterback. In the wake of his unbelievable postseason run, Jones held a press conference to declare that he was returning to school for another season.
That season didn’t quite work out as planned with the QB merry-go-round between Jones and J.T. Barrett never quite settling in. Jones turned pro the next year and was drafted by the Bills.
One of the things that stood out from that press conference was Jones saying how important his education was and how he would be the first in his family to graduate from college. And although Jones turned pro in 2016, next month he’ll graduate from Ohio State. It’s an outstanding achievement for someone who before his playoff run was best known for this tweet.
#TBT still can't believe I tweeted something as stupid as this but hey, we live and we learn, after your religion/ pic.twitter.com/mqCLK2uEHw
— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) April 2, 2015
Just how big of a deal is Jones’ graduation from Ohio State? His old quarterback coach will be there to visit him and watch him accept his degree next month, Tom Herman. Even though Herman is the new coach at the University of Texas, his connection with Jones as part of that national championship team runs deep. Just how deep? According to Fox’s Bruce Feldman, Herman is skipping the chance to meet two hip-hop heavyweights to be there for Jones.
Tom Herman & his wife are flying to Columbus for Cardale Jones graduation from #OhioSt May 7… "It's really cool to see how he's matured."
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) April 15, 2017
"Migos & Chance the Rapper were gonna be here (in Austin) on Sunday, the 7th and wanted to meet me. I said 'No, I’m gonna be in Columbus.’
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) April 15, 2017
That’s a boss move by Herman, who clearly wants to make it known to potential recruits that he is willing to go the extra mile for them and choose them over photo ops with famous musicians. Imagine him walking into a living room and saying that he’d pass up an opportunity to hang out with Drake once Texas wins the national championship (because you know Drake would suddenly then be a Texas fan) to spend a few moments celebrating with a recruit and his family or attending their graduation.
In all honesty, it’s pretty moving to see a coach value a player’s education just as much as their hydration.
