Bio
In his second season with the corners, he worked with Olatunde MkParu, who played the most snaps on defense, hauled in an interception, and had a career-high four pass breakups. He also worked closely with Colin Elliot, who produced two picks and a game-winning stop against Brown.
In 2023, Jones helped Lake Ellis earn Big South-OVC second-team All-Conference honors. Nine of the eleven interceptions this season were by the secondary.
Prior to joining the Bulldogs, Jones spent two seasons at Bloomsburh University During the 2022 season, Jones guided a pair of defensive backs to All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East honors as graduate student Chris Monaco earned his first career all-conference nod as a First Team defensive back. Quentin Gaskill earned his season-career accolade with a spot as a second-team d-back. The pair ranked in the top-25 nationally for passes defended as Gaskill was 13th with 1.4 passes defended (pass breakups and interceptions) per game, and Monaco was 25th with 1.3. Gaskill finished the year ranked third in the country in solo tackles, averaging 6.8 per game, and 25th in total tackles with 9.2. Monaco also earned the D2 Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) All-Super Region 1 honor.
Jones’ special team unit ranked 27th in the country with five blocked kicks, 28th with two blocked punts, and returned two blocked punts for a touchdown. Brendan McGonigle was ranked 14th in the country for his 80% field goal percentage, and Kevin Carrigan finished the year averaging 38.2 yards per punt.
In 2021, he led a defensive unit that ranked first in the PSAC and 19th nationally with 15 interceptions. His defensive backs accounted for six of the Huskies’ 12 fumble recoveries, led by Gaskill, who had a team-best three recoveries and three forced fumbles. Bloomsburg led the PSAC and was 11th in the country in fumble recoveries.
Jones served as the defensive coordinator at Kalamazoo College from April 2018 until July 2021. Jones elevated the Hornets’ defense which averaged 35.1 points per game and gave up 459.7 yards per game the season before his arrival, to a new standard of excellence with a scoring defense (22.5) and total defense (335.2) over the last two seasons. Jones helped the Hornets’ to their first shutout in 21 years against Oberlin on September 7, 2019, and posted a second shutout later in the season against Finlandia on October 12.
Under his guidance, 11 players earned All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) honors, including five first-teamers. Jones’ defensive unit had 56 sacks over his two seasons and finished in the top 30 in DIII in red zone defense at 60% on all scores. His secondary allowed 163.5 yards in the air per game over his two seasons. Jones helped lead one of the most significant turnarounds in all of college football from a 1-9 record in 2017 to a 7-3 record in 2018, with the best start to a season since 1962 and the second highest win total in school history.
Prior to his time with Kalamazoo Jones spent five years at Mercyhurst (2013-2018) He served as secondary coach and special teams for the Lakers. His secondary hauled in 57 interceptions throughout five seasons and set a school record with seven interceptions in one game. Six Mercyhurst defensive backs earned all-conference honors during his time with the program, including 2014 All-American Colin Kimball. He intercepted 13 passes over two seasons and set the school career mark with 15. Jones’ punt return unit blocked 11 punts and scored five touchdowns over the past four seasons. The 2016 unit finished second in the country with five blocked punts while scoring three touchdowns.
Jones is a 2010 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in psychology and African studies. Following graduation, he served a year as an academic graduate assistant for the Pitt football team while also breaking down film and producing scouting reports.
