Penn State football and Virginia Tech running back Kevin Jones really never did see eye-to-eye.

The Nittany Lions heavily recruited the Pennsylvania native, but in the end, he decided on Virginia Tech.

In the Oct. 27 issue of ESPN the Magazine, Jones made remarks critical of Penn State's program and the response of some Penn State fans to his decision to attend Virginia Tech. Yet, Jones appeared to back off many of those statements when asked about them yesterday.

In the ESPN article, Jones said that some Penn State players attempted to dissuade him from coming to Happy Valley by telling him negative things about the coaching staff.

The ESPN article states: "Jones began to hear stuff from several players during his visits to Happy Valley: This place, this coach, these assistants aren't for everyone...They'll mess with your head... Make sure you know what you're getting into."

But yesterday, Jones disagreed with that sentiment, saying the Penn State players he met with on his official visits to Penn State had only positive things to say about the Lions and the program.

"On my official visit they didn't say much," Jones said yesterday. "But they kept telling me that they wanted me to come."

Jones, who has rushed for 739 yards and nine touchdowns this season, also offered a different slant on the response of Penn State fans to his decision to go to Blacksburg.

Jones told ESPN the Magazine the e-mails he received were far from kind or flattering.

"I'm still catching crap today from them," Jones was quoted as saying in the article. "N-- this. N-- that. You idiot. You stupid n--, how could you do this?"

Yesterday, Jones said that he hasn't received any e-mail recently, but they came during his freshman season.

"It was because they were mad that I didn't come there," Jones said.

Part of the backlash against Jones stems from the way he made public his choice of schools.

On national signing day, Jones walked into Cardinal O'Hare's school assembly room to address the media. Jones took out a Penn State jersey and said he would not be going to Penn State.

He then announced he would be attending Virginia Tech, after taking a Hokies' jersey from his bag.

Now almost three years later, Jones said he'd do it all over again.

"No I wouldn't change anything," Jones said. "I didn't mean anything. And I don't care what they think. If they took it that way, it was them being negative because I didn't come there. I would do it again."

Jones is becoming the top back that everyone expected him to be when he graduated from high school.

But that doesn't change the relationship he has with Penn State fans.