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Tolbert, Jones form quite a receiving package for Warren

As fast as their hands are, as fast as their feet are, as fast as they run routes and burn defenders, Jalin Tolbert and Micah Jones became even faster friends.

Within a week of meeting at school, they were at each other's homes every single day.

“It's like my house is his house, he comes over all the time,” Jones said of Tolbert. “My Mom will tell him, ‘Why don't you just grab a Gatorade out of the fridge?' He can pretty much do whatever he wants at my house. He calls my Mom (Michelle) his Mom. And vice versa. His Mom (Demetra) is like my Mom, too.

“Our parents are friends. We all go out to eat together. We go to Chicago together. We've been on college visits together. We're just really close.”

Tolbert and Jones even play the same position on the football field. They are Warren's speedy, Division I-caliber wide receivers. Tolbert is a senior, Jones is a junior.

With the 2016 season set to kick off tonight, the two friends are out to become the best receiving tandem in the state of Illinois, and they want to parlay that into “package deal” scholarship offers from college recruiters.

Tolbert and Jones, who met two years ago in the hallway at school when Tolbert moved in from New Orleans and Jones was the first person to strike up a conversation with him, would love to keep their friendship going strong well into college.

“We've been on a lot of college visits together and people are starting to know us as a pair,” Tolbert said. “It's not like we're going to be heartbroken if we don't go to the same school. There's still FaceTime and stuff like that.

“But I'd say we both would really like to go to the same school if we can make that work. The package deal thing … it could potentially happen. We've talked about that a lot.”

This summer, Tolbert and Jones worked out tirelessly with the same receiving coach, as well as the same speed and agility coach. When they weren't doing that, they took some big-time college visits, to schools such as Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

They are on that level of consideration for the same reasons, and for different reasons.

Both are talented receivers with plenty of upside. But Tolbert and Jones have different strengths, just as they have different personalities within their friendship.

“I'm like the coffee, and he's like the creamer,” Tolbert said with a laugh. “I bring you up, and he kind of just smooths it all out.”

Added Jones, also with a laugh: “Our personalities are so different that I'm not even sure how we became friends. Jalin is the extrovert. He's always talking and he's funny. I'm the introvert. (Laughing) I'll tell him to be quiet when he needs to be. I think it's good … we kind of balance each other out.”

Tolbert and Jones will do the same thing within the Warren offense. Their skills offer a perfect complement.

At 6-foot-5, 195 pounds, Jones is the bruising receiver. He is strong enough to run over or through tacklers. He'll be a great third-down option when the tough yards are needed.

Meanwhile, Tolbert is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound burner. His 4.56 40 time helps him blow past defenders on the long fly patterns.

Clearly, senior quarterback Luke Schmitt will have a good option for any passing situation.

“Those two (Tolbert and Jones) would keep me up at night if I was a defensive coordinator going against us,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “I'm glad they are someone else's problem.

“Jalin and Micah are pretty good, like a quarterback's dream. We just need to make sure to get them the ball as much as possible. I think they are potentially two of the best receivers in the state.”

But Tolbert and Jones want more than that kind of anecdotal recognition, they also want the cold hard numbers of receivers of that caliber. Their goal is to roll up at least 1,000 receiving yards each this season.

They each had about 500 yards last season.

“We have to perform every game,” Jones said.

“We have to make plays, we are expected to make plays, we want to make plays,” Tolbert said. “There's a little bit of pressure on us, but I think that's drives us.”

So does tradition.

While Tolbert and Jones want to leave their own legacy at Warren, they are both very in tune with the program's past. They have great respect for some of the quality receivers who preceded them.

Former Warren star Caleb Reams is now playing at Illinois, while Javon Charleston is at South Carolina and Mitch Munda is at Wisconsin-Platteville.

“The thing we say to each other before we step onto the field is ‘Wide Receiver University,'” Tolbert said.

“It's not just about us, but about all the guys before us,” Jones said. “The wide receiver community is so close here, I feel like we're a gold standard of the program. The two of us want to keep that going.”

At Warren, and beyond.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw

  Warren wide receivers Micah Jones, left, and Jalin Tolbert are two of the area's best. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren wide receiver Micah Jones. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren wide receiver Jalin Tolbert. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren wide receiver Micah Jones makes a catch during practice Wednesday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren wide receiver Jalin Tolbert makes a catch during practice Wednesday. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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