Newcomer Emory Jones looking to impress his biggest critic as he makes ASU football debut

Arizona State quarterback Emory Jones is his own worst critic. So says head coach Herm Edwards. Offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas agrees.

The only one who might possibly disagree? Emory Jones, who says his mother can be pretty hard on him too, although it comes from a good place.

Trina Jones will be making the trip from LaGrange, Georgia to Tempe to watch her son's Sun Devil debut at 7 p.m. Thursday against Northern Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium.

"The main thing she hates are interceptions and she hates when I get hit hard," he said with a laugh while meeting with the media on Tuesday. "I'm still my worst critic but she always been the person that gets on me about every single thing. Every little thing. She's always the first person blowing my phone up after a game. It's OK though."

Jones, who transferred to ASU from Florida, says his tight relationship with his mother comes from being raised by her and not having siblings. She kept on him about everything from athletics to academics as well as manners. While youngsters don't always appreciate that when they're growing up, Jones definitely appreciates it now.

"Growing up it was just me and my mom. I'm an only child so I was always with her 24-7. She would be on me about schoolwork. She honestly gets all the credit for me being the person that I am today. Me being so poised, she made me the person I am today," he said.

Those attributes have very much been reflected in what seems like a smooth transition from Gainesville to Tempe.

ASU had five quarterbacks battling for the starting spot, which became vacant when three-year starter Jayden Daniels abruptly departed. Jones had hit the transfer portal in March when the Gators were going through spring drills and decided in May ASU would be his next stop. He eventually won the starting job, with Edwards making that announcement two weeks ago.

When Jones first arrived he took a couple of weeks to take everything in and he didn't want to come off as pushy or over-assertive. He wanted to let his work ethic command the respect of his teammates first, which it did.

"As soon as Emory stepped into the building you felt that leadership presence by him and the experience of a quarterback, somebody that’s looking to win, contribute to the team," senior linebacker Kyle Soelle said. "He’s a great asset to have on the team and I’m looking forward to seeing him in maroon and gold."

Last season Jones completed 64.7% (224-for-346) of his passes for 2,734 yards and 19 touchdowns but had 13 interceptions. He ran for another 759 yards and four scores.  In his Florida career, Jones was 279-for-432 (64.6%) for 3,347 yards and 26 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and 1,273 rushing yards.

There is perhaps no pressure as intense as what comes in playing in the ultra-competitive SEC but Jones says he has the same lofty expectations now playing in the Pac-12.

"For me, I go out there with the same expectations, hold myself to a high standard and the guys around me. I put a lot of pressure on myself, mainly to try and be perfect. Can't be perfect in this game. It's hard. It's a long game but that's something I'm working on. Just go out there and doing my job. I told the other guys, if all 11 guys do their job to the best of their ability, it'll all work out. That's what I try and do every single play."

Edwards also acknowledged the pressure his quarterback puts on himself.

"We’ve had some conversations and we’ll continue to have some and obviously before the game, we’ll have one," the coach said. "I’m going to just tell him to go play free. Don’t worry about making mistakes. You just be you. That’s why we got you. You just go be who you are and we’ll be fine.’”

For subscribers: Arizona State football vs. NAU scouting report, prediction

Not only is Jones one of 43 new players on the roster, but the coaching staff has also had some turnover with Thomas assuming the role of offensive coordinator, a position he previously had at UNLV.

Thomas says he and his newly dubbed starter had conversations about plays that Jones felt worked well at Florida and some of those will be part of the playbook moving forward.  He likes the rapport he has developed with his quarterback in just a short time.

"He has higher expectations than anybody in this building so it's my job to get the best out of him," Thomas said. "He's continuing to be critical of himself. He wants to improve. He continues to ask the right questions, give me feedback. And vice versa. I'm staying on him even if we have the big play, we're still looking for feedback to help him improve as far maybe timing, ball placement. So we have a great dynamic right now. It's a two-way street. I'm trying to get as much information as I can from him, what makes him comfortable, what does he like, so that dynamic has been positive and we're continuing to push, coach others to be better."

The process of self-critique also comes with breaking down film after a game. And sometimes mom has to watch film too or see highlights on the news because she doesn't always watch the game. Sometimes she's more mom than coach and there are nerves that come with that.

"Most of the time she doesn't watch the game. She'll be in the stadium but if it's late in the game like two minutes left and it's the fourth quarter of a close game she'll be in the bathroom. She'll call somebody that's in the stands, literally just have to hear it. She can't watch,"  he laughed.

ASU football position analyses: Special teams | Running backs  | Wide receivers | Offensive line |  Quarterback | Tight ends | Defensive line | Linebackers | Defensive backs

Reach the reporter at Michelle.Gardner@gannett.com or 602 444-4783.  Follow her on Twitter @MGardnerSports.

Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Emory Jones looking forward to debut as Arizona State quarterback