Golden Eagle Football adds Greg Jones as defensive coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Last season, Greg Jones coached on the other sideline against the Tennessee Tech Football team as he served as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Gardner-Webb. Helping guide the Runnin’ Bulldogs to the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association’s automatic berth into the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs and a share of the league’s championship with a 5-1 mark, Jones will now try to lead the combined conferences’ top defense to a championship as he joins the Golden Eagles’ staff as its new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Last season, Greg Jones coached on the other sideline against the Tennessee Tech Football team as he served as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Gardner-Webb.
Helping guide the Runnin' Bulldogs to the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association's automatic berth into the Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs and a share of the league's championship with a 5-1 mark, Jones will now try to lead the combined conferences' top defense to a championship as he joins the Golden Eagles' staff as its new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
"We are all extremely excited to welcome Greg Jones to our Tennessee Tech Football family," Tech head coach Bobby Wilder said Friday. "Greg brings a wealth of knowledge and has outstanding experience with our current defensive structure. His knowledge and passion for the game of football were very clear during our extensive interview process. I know our players will be fired up to work with Coach Jones."
To be a part of the new venture with the Golden Eagles was in intriguing prospect for Jones.
"I'm really excited to join the staff at Tennessee Tech," he said. "Coach Wilder is a program builder. My philosophy is very much in line with his 'Aim High' philosophy to help student-athletes reach their maximum potential. I'm excited to be there and work with this staff."
With experience at Gardner-Webb under former Tennessee Tech quarterback turned Runnin' Bulldog – and now East Tennessee State – head coach Tre Lamb, Jones learned from his time there and looks to bring his knowledge to Cookeville.
"While at Gardner-Webb, I gained the insight it takes to win the league," Jones said. "Gardner-Webb won conference championships the past two seasons. We were able to put a solid culture in place, put a scheme in place, built on strong fundamentals, which allowed us to create winning habits. It starts with great people and I've worked with a lot of them to get me into this position."
Of course, Jones is familiar with Tech's defense after a year coaching against the Golden Eagles in the Big South-OVC. He sees a lot of bright spots and ways to help maintain the league's top defense.
"From a personnel standpoint, Tech has a lot to work with," Jones said. "There's a lot of talent up front, an all-conference linebacker, some very good pieces in the secondary. They were really well-coached and played very hard. From the statistical standpoint, they were one of the best in the league. All of those things made this job really attractive and there's a lot to work with based on their success this past season."
Jones joined Lamb at G-W in December 2022 as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, then followed Lamb two months ago to East Tennessee State. Under his direction at G-W, the Runnin' Bulldogs finished the 2023 regular season ranked third in the FCS in tackles-for-loss (7.8 per game), fourth in defensive touchdowns (four) and 15th in rushing defense (106.3 yards per game). He had three players named All-Big South-OVC first-team – defensive lineman Ty French, linebacker William McRainey and defensive back Ja'Kai Young – and two on the second-team – linebacker Brendan Jackson and defensive back Jamari Brown.
After finishing up his playing career at Bucknell in 2009, he earned his bachelor's degree in history in 2010. Jones then joined the coaching staff at Division III Wilkes University. There he guided linebacker Tate Moore-Jacobs to an All-Middle Atlantic Conference first-team pick and a third-team D3football.com All-East Region selection.
Jones then spent the 2011 season as the cornerbacks coach at Rhode Island, followed by a year as the defensive coordinator at Division III Kenyon College in 2012. He was at Cornell from 2013 to early 2016, named the secondary coach and director of recruiting operations. While he was there, the defense ranked 21st nationally in fourth-down defense and first in the Ivy League in takeaways.
He then joined the coaching staff at Wake Forest from 2016 to 2022, going from a graduate assistant for the first two years, to an offensive analyst and director of player personnel/recruiting to linebackers coach and defensive analyst.
Wake Forest won four bowls – 2016 Military Bowl, 2017 Belk Bowl, 2018 Birmingham Bowl and 2021 Gator Bowl – in six appearances during his tenure, while the Demon Deacons ranked 14th in the Coaches' Poll and won the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division in 2021. That same year, the defense ranked second in the FBS in fumbles recovered, fifth in turnovers gained, 14th in interceptions and fourth-down defense and 17th in tackles-for-loss. A year earlier in 2020, Wake ranked 7th in defensive scores, eighth in turnover margin and 13th in interceptions. In 2019, a Wake Forest-record 14 players earned All-ACC recognition. During his time at Wake Forest, he earned his master's degree in liberal studies.
He left WFU to head to Old Dominion for one season as the assistant offensive line coach, producing an All-Sun Belt selection in Nick Saldiveri as the Monarchs collected nearly 340 yards of offense per game.
