Oklahoma QB Jones changed by offseason experiences

On a gravel road, quarterback Landry Jones sat silently with his Oklahoma teammates soaking in how a good day had suddenly turned so bad.

After a day painting houses and playing with children during a mission trip to Haiti, the news arrived that linebacker Austin Box had died unexpectedly back home in Oklahoma.

''You lose someone like that who's been so close to you for such a long time, it was just a bad day,'' Jones said Saturday at the Sooners' media day.

''You're on a trip like that. It was the best moment in your life and then something like that happens, it's the worst moment of your life.''

After 10 minutes or so of silence, the happy memories of their fallen teammate started to pop up in stories. It's a day they won't soon forget.

The trip with eight of his teammates and the women's basketball team was part of a transformative offseason for Jones.

He has stepped out of Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford's shadow, revealing a multifaceted individual off the field who just might do what Bradford couldn't on it - win a national title.

Jones has said he's considering going into the ministry, and the trip to Haiti only strengthened his faith. He also popped the question to basketball player Whitney Hand this summer, and she said yes.

''There's time to be into football and there's time to live your life,'' Jones said. ''I think as a football player, you kind of have to balance those things and know when football's important and know when other things are important as well.

''If you're on this team, you know how dedicated I am and you know when it's time to strap up the helmet and play ball, you have my 100 percent attention and 100 percent focus.''

The Sooners opened practice this week and learned immediately that they'll carry the No. 1 ranking in the USA Today poll. The Associated Press' rankings will come out later this month.

Those expectations come after Jones led Oklahoma to three straight wins away from home - beating rival Oklahoma State to earn a trip to the Big 12 championship game, leading a second-half comeback against Nebraska to win that title and then routing Connecticut in the Fiesta Bowl.

And he's come back a changed man after a remarkable offseason.

''Obviously our main focus wasn't to go down there to get closer to each other, but that's what it did,'' said center Ben Habern, one of Jones' best friends. ''That's what Haiti did to us. We were honestly forced to put our guards down and open up and love on those kids and those Haitian people, and that ultimately just brought us closer as a group.

''It's been awesome because we brought it back to our team, and we've opened up with each other. This is the closest team I've ever been a part of.''

Jones said the mission trip allowed him to see his teammates' ''true hearts,'' and now there are ''unspoken bonds'' between the nine that shared the highs and lows in the country heavily damaged by an earthquake with many desperate for food.

''I was kind of embarrassed because I thought I was going to go down there and help these people out, but at the end of the day you realize that they helped you more than you helped them,'' he said. ''They gave you more than what you gave them.''

Habern recalled playing with a child, maybe 4 or 5 years old, named Besom before the youngster fell asleep on his shoulder. Afterward, he marveled about how he spent 30 minutes caring about nothing but holding up the head of a child who had been a complete stranger.

''You're using your talents on Saturdays and then you build that platform and you get to use it and you get to go do trips like Haiti or speak to churches or have authority to speak to your teammates,'' Jones said. ''It's almost like that's your calling.''

Jones shared the number 12 with Box - the Sooners have some duplicate numbers on offense and defense - and he said he'll let Box's parents decide whether he should switch. The medical examiner's office ruled that Box died of an overdose of prescription painkillers.

''If they want me to wear it, I'm going to wear it,'' Jones said. ''If they don't want me to wear it, I'm going to do whatever the family wants me to do.''

Either way, he'll never be the same after all he's been through.