VENICE — John Peacock spent the entire offseason deciding which player would start under center for the Venice High football team.
Now, the three-time state champion head football coach will restart the process.
Darryon Jones, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior transferred to Venice on Friday, Sept. 5, from Chaminade-Madonna. The three-star prospect committed to Howard University will now compete with current starter Sean Long for the position.
“We’re going to give him the opportunity to learn (the offense), and we’re going to give him the opportunity to compete for it,” Peacock said of Jones, who is eligible to play as soon as Friday against Port Charlotte. “It’s no different than if it was a defensive tackle. If he came in here, we’d give him an opportunity to see if he can play for us and win a job. There is a chance that (Jones) will play Friday, for sure. It just depends on how the rest of this week goes.”
Jones played his first three seasons of high school football at Tampa Bay Tech before transferring to Chaminade-Madonna ahead of his senior season.
However, he didn’t make it to Week 3 before he transferred again, due to what he said was financial constraints from attending a private school.
“I thought about schools that I knew could benefit me, and I could benefit them and help them win,” he said of why he chose Venice.
Jones arrived at Venice High on Friday and watched the team’s game against Bishop Verot from the press box.
He described himself as a dual-threat quarterback who prefers to stay in the pocket or extend plays with his legs to deliver the ball to his receivers.
The timing of Jones’ transfer works well for both parties.
Jones had not recorded any offensive stats at Chaminade-Madonna through two games after passing for 3,787 yards and 40 touchdowns over three seasons at Tampa Bay Tech.
And the Indians have sputtered on offense to open the year.
Venice suffered its worst loss in five seasons in a 29-7 defeat at Tampa Bay Tech in Week 1. Though the Indians rallied to surge past Bishop Verot 27-12 in Week 2, that game included a first half with several missed opportunities and just seven points.
Long, who has played most of the snaps at quarterback for Venice, struggled in Week 1 when he completed 6 of 17 passes for 50 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions to go along with eight rushes for minus-7 yards.
However, the senior played better in Week 3 with top receiver Tyree Mannings Jr. back on the field after he missed Week 1 due to unsportsmanlike conduct penalties incurred in the Kickoff Classic.
Long completed 12 of 22 passes for 139 yards with two touchdowns and one interception as well as nine rushes for 68 yards.
Long and Jones split first-team reps at Monday, Sept. 8’s practice, which was Jones’ first time suiting up as an Indian.
“There’s nothing guaranteed for (Jones),” Peacock said. “He has to win the job. It’s not like we’re handing him the keys. Right now, Sean is our guy. Our job is to put the best players on the field who give us the best chance to win. If he shows us that, he’ll play. If not, we’ll stick with Sean.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Venice High football adds 3-star transfer quarterback Darryon Jones from Chaminade-Madonna
Reporting by Vinnie Portell, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
