Longtime defensive backs coach Derek Jones will join Brent Pry’s staff after a stint at Texas Tech.
From University release:
BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech Football head coach Brent Pry announced Sunday that Derek Jones has joined Tech’s coaching staff.
A 23-year coaching veteran, Jones most recently served as associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator at Texas Tech from 2020-21. In Lubbock, he mentored CB Demarcus Fields who was named a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2021 and was an honorable mention all-conference pick in 2020.Jones molded CB Zech McPhearson into a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2020, becoming just the second Red Raiders’ cornerback to earn that distinction since Texas Tech joined the Big 12 in 1996. McPhearson was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
CB Demarcus Fields led all Big 12 cornerbacks with 10 passes defensed in 2021 under Jones’ tutelage, while CB Rayshad Williams ranked second with nine, making them the most productive tandem in the conference. Williams earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors.
Prior to joining the Red Raiders, he enjoyed a 12-year stint working under head coach David Cutcliffe at Duke, serving as associate head coach in 2018-19. Prior to that, Jones worked in various capacities with the Blue Devils’ defensive backs and spent 10 seasons as assistant special teams coordinator from 2008-17.
During Jones’ tenure in Durham, the Blue Devils made six bowl appearances and won the ACC Coastal Division in 2013 to reach the school’s first-ever ACC Championship Game. Duke posted a 46-32 record from 2013-18, including a trio of bowl victories and a school-record 10 wins in 2013. Duke’s appearance in the 2012 Belk Bowl marked the school’s first bowl invite since 1995, while a victory in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl marked the first bowl win for the Blue Devils since 1961.
At Duke, Jones tutored players like CB Ross Cockrell who twice earned first-team All-ACC first-team honors for the Blue Devils and was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by Buffalo. Cockrell was the first Blue Devil defensive back to be selected in the NFL Draft since 1996. Cockrell left Duke as the school’s all-time leader in passes defensed (54) and produced 12 interceptions during his collegiate career. CB Mark Gilbert was also a first-team All-ACC selection at Duke under his guidance.
As assistant special teams coordinator for the Blue Devils, Jones helped WR Jamison Crowder reach the NFL ranks after excelling on special teams. Crowder was a 2013 second-team All-America selection of the Football Writers of America Association, Phil Steele and Sports Illustrated. Crowder earned 2012 second-team All-America status as an all-purpose player by Lindy’s. He was selected by Washington in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. CB DeVon Edwards earned second-team Walter Camp All-America honors as a return specialist in 2013 and returned six kickoffs for touchdowns during his collegiate career.
Coach Pry’s association with Jones dates back to the 2007 season at Memphis when Jones coached the secondary and Tech’s current head coach worked with the Tigers’ defensive line. The Tigers earned a berth in the New Orleans Bowl that season.
Jones served as cornerbacks coach for Tulsa in 2006 helping the Golden Hurricane lead Conference USA in passes defensed and an appearance in the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl. Tulsa CB Nick Graham earned all-conference honors under Jones’ tutelage and was later signed as a free agent by Philadelphia.
Jones joined the Tulsa staff following one season as the defensive backs coach at Middle Tennessee State and five years as the cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Murray State. The Racers produced seven All-Conference selections at cornerback during Jones’ five seasons as Murray State led the Ohio Valley Conference in pass defense (142.0 ypg) in 2003 and ranked 11th nationally in total defense (300.9 ypg) in 2004.
Jones’ coaching career began at Ole Miss, his alma mater, as a recruiting and operations graduate assistant in 1998 before serving as a defensive graduate assistant for the Rebels in 1999. The Woodruff, South Carolina native was a four-year letterwinner at Ole Miss as a cornerback from 1993-96. A two-time second-team All-SEC selection, he served as a team captain as a senior. He was also an All-SEC honoree as a sprinter on the track and field squad.
Jones graduated from Ole Miss in 1996 with a degree in public administration. After his time in Oxford, Jones played professionally in the Canadian Football League for the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos and in the Arena Football League for the Nashville Kats.
Jones is also a published author after his book, Always Play to Win, hit the shelves in 2017. The book serves as a collection of inspirational quotes to help readers approach every day with a positive mindset. All proceeds from book sales and subsequent speaking engagements help provided financial support to college students from my Jones’ hometown.
He and his wife, Naketa, have two daughters, Madison and Brooklyn Savannah. Jones also has another daughter, Darquisha.
