The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Kirtland, Euclid grads returning to John Carroll
Kirtland, Euclid grads excited for 2020 season
Joey Bates’ and Tyshawn Jones each had their own reason to play one more season of college football next fall.
Collectively, their decision to return for one more season at John Carroll could have a big impact on the 2020 season.
That’s because each could have walked away from the sport, earned their degrees and begun the post-football part of their lives. Instead, Bates (a Kirtland grad) and Jones (a Euclid grad) — who are transfers — decided for one more season for varying reasons.
Bates wants to coach football, preferably in college. Jones has also thought about coaching at the high school level, but also has an interest in physical therapy and has dreams of owning his own business.
For now, it’s back to business for both, and that means an eye on the 2020 season, when hopes will be high for JCU with quarterback Jake Floriea (Mentor) and running back Michael Canganelli (Mayfield) and others returning.
There might even be some unfinished business for the program. In 2019, the Blue Streaks were 9-1, and their only loss was to Ohio
Athletic Conference champion Mount Union. When the 32-team NCAA Division III playoff field was announced, JCU was left out.
That’s a feeling that still a sore spot for Bates and Jones.
“Personally, I felt I had more to prove, especially with how the season ended,” said Jones. “It was a bad feeling being left out of the playoffs, and that puts a chip on my shoulder even more. We saw a lot of improvement from Week 1 to Week 10, and I thought we were a much better football team at the end of the season.”
Bates said being motivated by the team not making the D-III playoffs was a factor but not the only factor. He could have graduated this school year but will stretch his final semester into the fall mostly because of this:
“I love playing the game,” said Bates. “I love football, and I want to be around the game the rest of my life.”
JCU’s three-year starting quarterback from 2016 to 2018 Anthony
Moeglin was in a similar situation as Bates and Jones. He missed his 2015 freshman season because of injury, but retained an additional year of eligibility. He opted not to play his final season in 2019, and graduated.
Moeglin recently was hired as an assistant coach at Walsh Jesuit, where he will work with head coach Nick Alexander, a former JCU assistant and Mayfield graduate.
Defensive end Cal Reynolds, a transfer from D-II Gannon, led JCU last year with 10 sacks and was a first-team All-OAC selection. He was hoping to return in the fall for one final season but the NCAA denied him because of — incredibly — one too many snaps he played at Gannon.
“In a way, I’m doing this for the guys like Cal who can’t do it,” said Bates.
The pull of the gridiron can be a powerful thing, and it was evident with Bates and Jones. They will be counted on by head coach Rick Finotti for their talent, but
also their leadership. That excites both players.
“One of the reasons why I wanted to come back was to improve my leadership skills as I go into coaching,” said Bates. “If you want to coach, you have to be able to lead. But also we want to leave our mark on this program. We’re excited to lead the younger guys, and keep up the tradition here.”
Said Jones: “I think our leadership will be really beneficial for the team. It will be huge having guys back that have been in big situations and have played important snaps.”
It’s not unusual for D-III football programs to utilize and thrive with transfers. Bates initially arrived at JCU before transferring to Ohio State to be “a regular student,” he once said. Bates quickly realized how much he missed the sport and transferred back to JCU to continue playing.
Jones started at D-II West Virginia State but then transferred to JCU a week before former coach Tom Arth and members of his
staff moved on to FCS Chattanooga. That left him in a sort of limbo period but upon talking to his high school coach, Euclid’s Jeff Rotsky — who Jones said is wired the same way as Finotti — his concerns went away.
Each have made an impact on the Blue Streaks’ program. Jones is a hybrid defensive back/linebacker who is in line to be a starter for the third straight season when the team opens at Ithaca College Sept. 5. In three years, he has 112 tackles, 26 passes defended and nine interceptions.
Bates dealt with a hamstring injury for most of 2018, then became a regular starter last season. Toward the end of 2019, he switched from safety to cornerback and performed well with 39 tackle and two interceptions.
The JCU defense lost a lot of starters off a 2019 stingy defense so the return of Jones and Bates should provide a big boost.
“It means everything to have this one last opportunity,” said Bates.