Dwight Jones makes impact for Tar Heels after long journey to UNC

During North Carolina’s game against East Carolina on Oct. 1, CBS Sports announcers said wide receiver Dwight Jones had hands the size of a coffee table.

It’s a strange analogy, no doubt. After all, few people would relate a body part to pieces of living room furniture.

The point was obviously to say that for the kind of catches Jones makes, he has to have big hands. He’s led the team in receptions and receiving yards the past two seasons and already has eight touchdowns this year.

But the road from Burlington’s Cummings High School to stardom in Chapel Hill has had its obstacles. And in order to handle everything he’s faced, Jones has needed those coffee table-sized hands.

Idolizing Tate

Former UNC standout wide receiver and current Cincinnati Bengal Brandon Tate was one of Cummings’ most dynamic players in its history. In his senior year of high school in 2004, he went for 1,213 yards and 18 touchdowns for the Cavaliers.

Standing on the sidelines while Tate racked up the stats was Jones, then a sophomore who was playing defensive back. Jones took mental notes on Tate as meticulously as the college scouts in attendance.

The friendship between the two dates back to the playground. They both went to the Burlington Boys and Girls Club, and Tate said they once lived in the same neighborhood.

“I’ve known him for the longest … We went to summer camp and everything,” Tate said. “Because he was two years younger than me, I was more like the old kid that he was looking up to.”

After Tate moved on to start what would be one of the best careers for a receiver at UNC, Jones stepped into the role of playmaker. He totaled 112 receptions for 2,315 yards, 20 touchdowns and a state championship in his final two years.

Jones was set to follow Tate to Chapel Hill after being rated the No. 1 player in North Carolina by Rivals.com. But a few academic hurdles led to Jones having to make stops in Chatham, Va., and Valdosta, Ga., before joining his “big brother.”

Getting a foothold

Because of academic shortcomings, Jones had to spend a year at Hargrave Military Academy before joining the Tar Heels. The Virginia prep school is known to be the go-to school for most UNC athletes who need an extra year to prepare their academics before coming to Chapel Hill.

Not all went according to plan, though. Because of what UNC referred to as a “misunderstanding in the number of core classes he needed to enroll at a Division I school,” Jones took his talents to Division-II Valdosta State for preseason practice.

It wouldn’t be long until Jones was cleared to play after UNC worked with the NCAA, but that didn’t necessarily mean the high school All-American would be hauling in touchdowns from quarterback T.J. Yates immediately. Jones played in only three games in 2008 and did not catch a single pass.

“It’s hard to be a blue-chip recruit and not play. I don’t care who you are, it’s just hard,” UNC wide receivers coach Charlie Williams said. “I’m sure he thought about quitting at times or transferring. That’s the natural reaction. I’m glad he stayed because it’s turned out the way I think he wanted it to, but it took a while to get here.”

In what Williams called a student-teacher relationship, Jones and Tate kept in constant contact during Jones’ freshman year. Tate ushered him around UNC, told him what buildings were what and gave advice on the field, as well.

“It was a big difference coming into college from Hargrave,” Jones said. “It was a lot harder but I always had Tate. He told me to always keep working. And on the days when I was down he got me lifted. He always kept me focused and said just keep working hard and my time will eventually come.”

Waiting his turn

Jones tried to keep a level head during his freshman season. He knew that UNC’s talented wide receiver trio of Tate, Hakeem Nicks and Brooks Foster had earned their spots and could deal with waiting in the wings.

After their graduation, a starting role during his sophomore year was ripe for the plucking. But a nagging knee injury forced him to have arthroscopic surgery before the season opener and sit out the first half of the season.

“The most frustrating part of my collegiate career was when I got hurt,” Jones said. “It made me a better teammate. It made me realize I had to be more of a vocal leader, encourage and pump guys up. At the end of the season I was going to leave, but the type of player I am I wanted to show how good I really am and earn my spot back.”

Williams saw glimpses of the promise Jones showed in high school during spring ball, and the chemistry between Jones and current quarterback Bryn Renner began immediately.

“I was running with the twos and he was running with the twos, two years ago, and we just really hit it off,” Renner said. “I knew he was a playmaker, and he’s just making me look good.”

But while Jones was working with the future signal-caller Renner, he also had to focus on learning then-starter Yates. In order to do that, he stayed committed to offseason workouts and film study.

“Freshman and sophomore year I probably didn’t watch too much film,” Jones said. “Now I’m always in the film room getting extra time in. On Thursdays we have a little 15-minute break before we eat and I always go in there to get a little extra 15 minutes in. My dedication to the game is a lot more powerful now.”

Jones caught a team-high 62 receptions for 946 yards in 2010, ranking him fifth all-time in the UNC single-season record books.

Seeing the light

Tate and Jones haven’t spoken since they were inducted to the Cummings Hall of Fame in January. Tate still looks at Jones’ stats the next day, but said because of potential NCAA rules violations he doesn’t want Jones to get into any trouble.

If he’s looked this week, Tate will see Jones has 46 catches for 687 yards and is tied for an ACC-high eight touchdowns. At this rate, Jones would eclipse the single-season-best marks for receiving yards and touchdowns set by Nicks.

“Given the talent, all he needed was an opportunity,” Williams said. “And once he got the opportunity he’s flourished. He’s taken his game to another level. Now he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. He knows that he’s six games away from reaching his goal and playing at the next level.”

Renner said after the East Carolina game that Jones may be the best wide receiver in the country. Jones has even made an appearance on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. Despite the hype surrounding him, Jones doesn’t feed into it.

“I know some players love it, but the type of person I am, I don’t need any person to tell me I’m going in the first round or I may be the best receiver,” he said. “I always want to go out and prove myself every time on the field like I’m a freshman.”

And after everything Jones has been through, the thought of having to start all over again is motivation enough.

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.