Jonas Mouton
Safety
Venice, Calif., High School
6-foot-2, 210-pounds
NR: *****
Position Rank: No. 6
Scout.com Player Video
All-American
Highlights
Jonas
Mouton highlights 11/20/05
Scouting
Video 3
Scouting
Video 4
Scouting
Video 5
His Recruiting Story
GoBlueWolverine.com first met Mouton at a Venice spring practice session.
Since the football field at Venice was being replaced, and the baseball team
was using the only other field available, all the football players could do
was run. After their run, Jonas was more than happy to talk, and talk he did.
He said he really liked Michigan, and especially enjoyed talking with Wolverine
defensive backs coach Ron English - his recruiter. He had never set foot in
the state, but after our first conversation it was apparent that Michigan was
at or near the top of his list of favorites. As a junior he recorded 87 tackles,
five interceptions, and three sacks. On the offensive side, where he played
wide receiver, he has 30 receptions for 620 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also
had 40 rushes for 375 yards.
Mouton chose Michigan for his second official visit on Sept. 10 - the Notre
Dame game. He visited Nebraska the week prior, and the Cornhuskers appeared
to be a legitimate suitor for the top prospect. However, his Michigan visit
moved the Wolverines even higher on his list. One advantage was the friendships
he had developed with Michigan freshmen Chris Richards,
Johnny Sears, and Eugene
Germany - all players from California. He told the Michigan staff he would
decide a couple of weeks after he returned from Ann Arbor. However, his decision
was postponed.
Eventually, the top schools for Mouton were USC, Nebraska, Michgian, and LSU.
USC and LSU held the allure of recent success, plus closeness to family - Mouton's
father lives in Louisiana. However, Nebraska was dropped rather quickly, and
it appeared to be a battle between the remaining three schools.
As often happens in recruiting, the rumors began to fly. One week he was going
to Michigan, the next it was USC, then it was back to Michigan, and so forth.
The talented young man visited his four favorites, the announced that he was
done with his trips. However, shortly after the football season concluded with
Texas defeating USC in the Bowl Championship Series final on Jan. 4 in the Rose
Bowl, the Longhorns jumped into the mix, and Mouton promptly took his last official
visit, to Austin. With his mom being a UT graduate, and the resurgence of the
Texas program, they became a legitimate contestant. Shortly after Mouton returned
from UT, he dropped LSU.
In the end, he stayed with the team that had been his favorite all along. He
sent in his signed Letter of Intent on the morning of Feb. 1.
GoBlueWolverine.com Commentary
When GBW was able to see Mouton in action during his senior season, he showed
why he was one of the top safety prospects in the country. He is big and fast,
and has great acceleration. He hits hard and has a good nose for the ball. His
speed is deceptive in that he doesn't appear to be putting much effort into
running, yet he gets to the ball in a hurry.
His size and speed are his advantage. Some believe he will eventually move to
linebacker, but that isn't the goal. He wishes to remain at the safety spot,
and right now that looks to be where he will play at Michigan.
During the U.S. Army All-American Bowl game practices, GBW was able to watch
him against the best, and he lived up to expectations. The players he faced
did not intimidate him and while he was not happy with his personal performance
in the game, he was able to show off his talents.
He was also named to the USA Today All-American team.