RECRUITING: Arbor View’s Jones, Sims to team up again at Southern Utah

Bishop Jones and Alex Sims played only one year together on the football field for Arbor View.

But the seniors are looking forward to a few more years as teammates.

Jones and Sims each signed a national letter of intent with Southern Utah on Wednesday, the first day recruits can make their commitments binding. They were two of 10 Arbor View athletes who signed during a morning ceremony in the school's gym in front of more than 50 friends and family members.

"This is that day we're all proud of, when these kids end up making their decision with their family and we kind of send them off into the world," Arbor View football coach Dan Barnson said.

Jones, a 6-foot-4-inch, 225-pound linebacker, was a first-team all-Northwest League pick after missing all of his junior season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Jones was tied for second on the Aggies with 72 tackles and chose the Thunderbirds over scholarship offers from UNLV and Weber State.

"When it came down to it, SUU offered me first," Jones said. "They stuck with me through my knee injury, and that meant so much to me throughout the whole process.

"For me, it was all about the family atmosphere out there. You go to a game and you see the fans react with the players and just how it all coincides, it was just riveting for me to see a game. That kind of sealed the deal for me."

Sims (6-1, 180) transferred to Arbor View from Woodbridge, Va., prior to his junior year. Sims didn't get to play with the injured Jones his first season with the Aggies, and the defensive back made 44 tackles as a senior to help Arbor View go 10-2 and reach the Division I Sunset Region title game.

Jones made an oral commitment to Southern Utah in September and spent the next few months recruiting Sims to join him in Cedar City, Utah. Southern Utah was Sims' lone scholarship offer.

"Everybody knows each other. It's very family oriented, everybody's close," Sims said. "Small town, but everybody goes to the game. Southern Utah football is like the big thing down there."

Jones and Sims are expected to be joined at Southern Utah by another Arbor View teammate, Harold Bell. The senior defensive lineman has yet to be cleared by the NCAA Eligibility Center and was unable to sign Wednesday.

Southern Utah went 8-4 and captured the Big Sky Conference title in 2015.

"We're ready early," Jones said, "and we're coming out there to make some noise for Nevada."

Other members of the Aggies' football team to sign Wednesday were: Keenen King (Washington State), Charles McMullen (Buena Vista, Iowa), Noah Noce (Dixie State, Utah) and Devin Short (Adams State, Colo.).

King, a 6-5, 308-pound offensive lineman, is a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and Scout.com. He will transition from Arbor View's ground-and-pound, double-wing offense to a system known for throwing the ball upwards of 60 times a game under coach Mike Leach.

"It's going to be different," King admitted. "I think it's going to be easy to get done up at Washington State because I have no experience pass blocking, so I'm fresh. I don't have bad habits in pass blocking, so I think I can start new with somebody."

Arbor View's other signings were Bailee Davis (Texas-Dallas) for women's soccer, James Drye (UNLV) for men's soccer, Taylor Howie (Grays Harbor Community College) for women's volleyball and Taylor Whalen (Missouri Valley College) for softball.

Several schools in the valley are holding Signing Day ceremonies Wednesday to honor athletes. In all, 13 local football players are expected to sign with Football Bowl Subdivison schools.

Seven-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman leads the way with three players (Jaron Caldwell and Julio Garcia to UNLV, and Ikem Okeke to Hawaii), followed by Desert Pines (Samuelu Poutasi to Oregon, and Anthony Smith to Colorado State) and Palo Verde (Kyler Hack to UNLV and Kameron Toomer to UNR).

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ