In his second season on the Northwestern State staff, Josh Jones has added recruiting coordinator duties to his continued work with the Demons’ safeties.
Under Jones’ tutelage, veteran PJ Herrington became one of the top playmakers in the Southland Conference, finishing third on the team in tackles despite missing the final two games of the season with injuries. Additionally, Jones helped develop Keenan Leachman during Leachman’s first season as a starter at the Division I level.
Jones comes to Natchitoches after a one-season stint at Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he quickly made his mark as the defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach. Under Jones’ tutelage, Jalon Thigpen led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in passes defensed, earning first-team All-SWAC honors.
Thigpen’s development followed a trend that has typified Jones’ career.
In three seasons coaching cornerbacks at South Alabama (2018-20), Jones helped Darian Mills earn All-Sun Belt Conference in honors after ranking second in the conference in pass breakups. A year later, Travis Reed was an All-Sun Belt honoree after breaking up 10 passes and intercepting three others.
The play of Jones’ cornerbacks helped the Jaguars post a top-50 performance nationally in passing defense.
Jones followed head coach Steve Campbell to South Alabama after spending two seasons with Campbell at Central Arkansas.
While on UCA’s staff, Jones helped the Bears produced a 20-5 overall record and a 17-1 conference mark, capturing the 2017 Southland Conference title.
In each of his two seasons with the Bears, Jones produced an All-American as Tyler Williams garnered the honor in 2016 and Tremon Smith did so in 2017. Smith was a two-time, first-team All-Southland Conference selection and is entering his fourth season in the NFL. Williams was a first-team All-SLC pick in 2016 before signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.
Jones spent the 2015 season coaching cornerbacks at Henderson State, molding a defense that led all divisions of the NCAA with 29 interceptions. Tavares Garner earned first-team All-Great American Conference notoriety as the Reddies went 11-2 and reached the D-II playoffs.
Before joining the Henderson State staff, Jones was a graduate assistant at Troy, Missouri Western State and Arkansas Tech.
As a player, Jones was an All-American at both Minnesota State-Moorhead and Harding University. While at Harding, he was invited to play in the Cactus Bowl (D-II Senior All-Star Game) and was the Little Rock Touchdown Club Player of the Year.
At Minnesota State-Moorhead, Jones broke the school record for interceptions with 10 as a sophomore, tying him for second nationally. He also holds MSU-Moorhead’s school record for longest punt return touchdown at 94 yards.
A 2013 professional studies graduate of Arkansas Tech, Jones played one season with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League and one with the Green Bay Blizzard of the Indoor Football League, helping the Blizzard reach the conference championship game.
