Malvern Prep’s Peter Jones shows elite athleticism and is ‘driven to succeed’ at Notre Dame

If you’ve ever seen the now-legendary photograph of former Eagles coach Andy Reid at 13 years old towering above children his age, you’ll understand just how large Malvern Prep senior Peter Jones has always been.

These days, the Notre Dame-commit is a 6-foot-6, 296-pound right tackle who will lead the Friars (7-1, 3-0) Saturday at 6 p.m. against visiting Germantown Academy (5-3, 0-3). With a win, Malvern would be one win away from a fifth Inter-Ac title since 2016.

Jones, a top recruit in the class of 2024, had already surpassed 6-foot by the time he reached sixth grade, prompting his parents to keep his paperwork at the ready.

“We did used to carry around his birth certificate,” said Jennifer Jones in a phone interview. “There were other teams who would challenge his age…”

Size, however, is only part of what makes Jones extraordinary.

Elite athleticism coupled with a near-fanatical approach to fitness, nutrition, and studying the nuances of football, might be what makes him truly special.

“He’s as driven as I’ve ever had an athlete,” said Malvern coach Dave Gueriera, who has coached several Division I talents.

“He is driven to succeed and driven to get to the next level and make a name for himself.”

Food-shopping trips from the family’s home in West Brandywine Township must have been the stuff of legend.

Jones’s older brother, Kevin, 23, is a 6-7, 315-pound right tackle at the University of Maine, where he went after starring at Bishop Shanahan.

Similar to Andy Reid, who looked like a man among boys during a punt, pass, and kick competition televised on Monday Night Football in 1971, the Jones boys have always been enormous.

“There are a couple of farmer’s markets near where we live,” Jones’s father, Kevin Sr., said via phone. “They all know us by name, and we look for the sales.”

Don’t expect the refrigerator shelves to stay stocked for long these days, either.

“When the two boys are home,” Jennifer said, “easily they go through 11 gallons of milk a week.”

Jones, 17, has also become a bit of an amateur chef, his dad says, because he is conscientious about nutrition.

“It’s an impressive thing to see how he looks at food compared to his siblings, classmates, and teammates,” Kevin Sr. said. “Pete doesn’t eat junk food at all. And hasn’t for years. … He knows exactly what needs to go into his body.”

Gueriera, now in his seventh year at Malvern, didn’t hesitate when asked if he had ever coached a player like Jones.

“No, he was created in a lab,” he joked. “I have not had anyone that big.”

For reference, former Malvern lineman Carl Nassib was 6-7 and 275 pounds when he played at Penn State, years before he became the NFL’s first active, openly gay player in 2021.

Another Malvern grad, Jake Hornibrook, is currently a 6-5, 300-pound lineman at Duke.

In sports parlance, some young athletes say they’ve been “in the lab” when referring to workouts in the weight room or on the practice field.

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So, in a sense, Gueriera is correct.

Jones, his parents say, has been dedicated to training since age 12.

“He’s very self-determined and self-motivated,” Jennifer said.

One day when she wasn’t able to take him to the gym, she received a phone call from a curious neighbor who likely saw Jones appear then disappear several times in the family’s backyard.

“Oh, Pete’s just doing pull-ups outside on the maple tree,” Jennifer said with a laugh.

“Pete was never typical for his age group,” she added. “After a birthday party in middle school, some kids might go home and [sit around]. He’d come home and run laps around the house, jump rope, or do push-ups.”

Perhaps equally as impressive, Jones has a reputation for studying in school as feverishly as he studies the game and prepares his body to play it.

“He’s very focused,” his father said. “He is all about execution. He’s very methodical. He studies his opponents very well. It’s pretty impressive to watch him prepare for a game.”

So essentially, an enormous, athletically-gifted human with a passion for football, fuels his body properly, trains fanatically, studies the game voraciously, and then uses it all on the field each week. No wonder the Friars are undefeated in league play.

It also makes sense that if Malvern runs the ball, Jones’s size 16′s are most likely paving the way.

“We do run a lot to the right and we do expect Peter to clear the way, and he’s done a really good job of that this year,” Gueriera said. “He’s a road grader in the run game.”

“His strength is off the charts, so when he gets you and he has good leverage, you’re not getting [away],” he continued. “But he’s also flexible and athletic for being such a big guy.”

Jones would, undoubtedly, point praise toward teammates, including senior offensive lineman, Logan Demchyk, Dylan Kraiza, Liam Horan, and junior Orazio Nastase.

Jones said he enjoys the camaraderie and physicality of football, but also loves diagnosing and executing schemes against an opponent.

He has also learned a lot from his brother, Kevin. He says the two talk often about the nuances of the position.

Growing up down the hall from Kevin also taught Peter that he won’t always be the biggest and the strongest.

That could be the case in college, which is coming sooner than later.

Jones chose Notre Dame over Penn State, where his parents met and got engaged, in part because it fulfilled all of what he wanted.

“I just felt,” Jones said, “not just as a football player, but as a student and as a person, more comfortable there. Similar school [to Malvern], a catholic school, a smaller school. That kind of environment drew me [to Malvern] and [to Notre Dame].”

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In fact, he’s so drawn to South Bend, Ind., that Jones said he plans to leave Malvern in January to join Notre Dame’s team. He expects, however, to return for Malvern’s graduation ceremony.

As much as it’s about getting acquainted with college football and the Fighting Irish playbook and culture, Jones says he also wants to get acclimated with college life and academics as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, he is cherishing every moment he has left with his teammates at Malvern.

“That’s the biggest thing right now for us as seniors,” Jones said. “There are [two games] left. Don’t waste a play because you only have a certain amount left. Just cherish every moment you have. Don’t waste them.”