OU Hires Emmett Jones as Wide Receivers Coach and Passing Game Coordinator
January 10, 2023 | Football
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma head football coach Brent Venables announced Tuesday that OU has hired Emmett Jones as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator.
Jones, who has strong ties to the Dallas area, spent the 2022 season at Texas Tech as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. From 2019-21, Jones served as wide receivers coach at Kansas and added the title of passing game coordinator his final two years there. He also served as KU's interim head coach in spring 2021 until Lance Leipold was hired as head coach.
This past season, Texas Tech led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally in passing offense (302.0 yards per game) and 13th nationally in passing yards (3,926). Eight receivers under his tutelage registered at least 20 receptions and five of those averaged at least 12.0 yards per catch. Jerand Bradley led the Red Raiders with 52 receptions, 751 yards, six receiving touchdowns and 62.6 yards per game in 2022, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention acclaim.
In each of Jones' three seasons at Kansas, the Jayhawks produced a top-11 receiver in the Big 12. In 2019, Andrew Parchment ranked fourth in the league by averaging 69.3 receiving yards per game, becoming the first KU player to rank among the top-five Big 12 receivers in the category since 2009. In 2020 and '21, Kwamie Lassiter II ranked 11th (50.9 yards per game) and eighth (54.4 ypg) in the Big 12, respectively.
Jones's background is firmly rooted in the state of Texas. A highly respected figure from his time as head coach at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas from 2012-14, he made the jump to the collegiate ranks in 2015 when then-Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury hired him as director of player development. He was promoted the next year to outside receivers coach and spent three seasons in that role.
Regarded as a top developer of wide receivers in the college game, Jones helped build one of the nation's most productive offenses in his first stint at Texas Tech. In 2016, the Red Raiders led the nation in total offense (566.6 yards per game) and passing offense (463.0 ypg), and ranked fifth in the country in scoring offense (43.7 points per game).
In 2018 under Jones' tutelage, Tech receiver Antoine Wesley earned first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America after catching 88 passes for 1,410 yards and nine touchdowns. His receiving yard total ranked as the third-best in Tech history, behind only a pair of two other eventual NFL players in Michael Crabtree and Keke Coutee. Wesley ranked second nationally that season in receiving yards per game (117.5), third in total receiving yards and eighth in receptions per contest (7.3). He led the Big 12 in receiving yards and catches per game.
A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, Wesley was one of four Red Raider outside receivers who made it to the NFL under Jones. The others were Dylan Cantrell (drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers and also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and the now-Washington Commanders), Derrick Willies (Cleveland Browns) and T.J. Vasher (Dallas Cowboys).
Jones led South Oak Cliff High School to a 30-8 record in his three seasons as head coach. The Golden Bears advanced deep into the Class 4A and 5A playoffs each of those three years. The school produced several FBS signees under Jones, including five players in the 2014 class alone.
Prior to his time at South Oak Cliff, Jones served as an assistant coach at multiple Dallas-area high schools. He spent seven seasons at Dallas Skyline High School, starting there as wide receivers coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. Prior to that, he served on the Dallas Lincoln High School staff for the 2004 season. He began his coaching career at Seagoville High School, spending the 2001-03 seasons at his alma mater.
Jones was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech during the 1994 season before transferring to North Texas. He graduated from UNT in 1999.
He and his wife, Marlo, are the parents of a daughter, Emily, and a son, Emmett III.
EMMETT JONES' COACHING HISTORY
2022 - Texas Tech Passing Game Coordinator (Wide Receivers)
2019-21 - Kansas Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers)
2016-18 - Texas Tech Assistant Coach (Outside Receivers)
2015 - Texas Tech Director of Player Development
2012-14 - South Oak Cliff High School (Head Coach)
2005-11 - Dallas Skyline High School (Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator)
2004 - Dallas Lincoln High School (Assistant Coach)
2001-03 - Seagoville High School (Assistant Coach)
OU HEAD COACH BRENT VENABLES ON EMMETT JONES:
"Couldn't be more excited to welcome Emmett, his wife, Marlo, and their children, Emily and Emmett, to the OU family. Coach Jones is a great teacher of the game with a track record of positional development at the highest level. He's produced some great collegiate players who have gone on to the NFL and he's been around some of the brightest minds in college football in Kliff Kingsbury and Lance Leipold, and of course Joey McGuire this past year at Texas Tech. He's been incredibly successful wherever he's been, including in the high school ranks in the Dallas area. He's a coaching giant in Texas high school football.
"Emmett's been a connector at every stop. He's personable and relational. He's tough and demanding. Everywhere he's been he's made those places better. And everyone who's had a chance to be coached by him or work with him has nothing but incredible things to say about his character, his coaching acumen and his relationship-building ability. What I love about Emmett is he recognizes the University of Oklahoma's brand and the stage we're on, and wanted to be a part of it. He jumped at the opportunity to join this program and that means a lot. Many of our coaches know him and have been around him personally and professionally, and they all have incredible things to say about him and his family. The Jones family's got juice and energy and will really fit in well in the Norman community."
EMMETT JONES ON JOINING THE OU STAFF:
"The University of Oklahoma's tradition and the chance to work with Coach Venables made this an opportunity that was too hard to turn down. Also, I'd been researching and paying attention to Coach (Jeff) Lebby ever since I was back at South Oak Cliff and he was coaching running backs at Baylor. So I kept my eyes on him throughout his journey and especially at Ole Miss and this past year at OU. I feel like working with him -- one of the brightest minds in the game when it comes to offensive schemes -- will help me to continue to grow in this profession. And same thing with being able to soak up knowledge from Coach Venables.
"Oklahoma expects championships. I want to be around champions and I want to win multiple championships. I've coached in a couple of games in Norman and the game day atmosphere is incredible. Even going back to my time as a high school coach, players in our program got really excited to be recruited by Oklahoma. I remember how our guys would really perk up when they received information from OU. Just having a chance to be a part of that is like a dream come true. And in order for me to leave Texas Tech, I felt the situation would have to be perfect for me somewhere else. Oklahoma fit. It answered every question, crossed every 'T' and dotted every 'I.' And it's not far from Dallas. It was just a no-brainer.
"I'm a passionate coach, I'm all about relationships. I love to pull in and reach young men, love to be that person they want to be around. I coach hard, but I truly believe you have to establish deep relationships with these young men. That's something I feel like I specialize in. When it comes to the receiver position, I feel like I'm one of the best if not the best. I always try to enhance the position, try to find ways to set trends when it comes to development and challenging guys. OU is getting a family man, a team guy who loves being around the players. I'm all about toughness and hard work, and the players are getting a coach they're going to love being around, one who will represent the program with the utmost respect in every form and fashion."
VENABLES ON L'DAMIAN WASHINGTON, WHO WAS ELEVATED IN AUGUST FROM OFFENSIVE ANALYST TO INTERIM WIDE RECEIVERS COACH:
"We're trying to keep L'Damian in an enhanced role. He jumped right in the 'A' gap and did a fantastic job of making us better in our first season, improving our players and our offense. He's been bold and courageous and has been connected to both players and staff. I'm very thankful for his contributions and we're fighting like heck to keep him here. He brings tremendous value to our staff, our locker room and that position group."
Jones, who has strong ties to the Dallas area, spent the 2022 season at Texas Tech as wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator. From 2019-21, Jones served as wide receivers coach at Kansas and added the title of passing game coordinator his final two years there. He also served as KU's interim head coach in spring 2021 until Lance Leipold was hired as head coach.
This past season, Texas Tech led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally in passing offense (302.0 yards per game) and 13th nationally in passing yards (3,926). Eight receivers under his tutelage registered at least 20 receptions and five of those averaged at least 12.0 yards per catch. Jerand Bradley led the Red Raiders with 52 receptions, 751 yards, six receiving touchdowns and 62.6 yards per game in 2022, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention acclaim.
In each of Jones' three seasons at Kansas, the Jayhawks produced a top-11 receiver in the Big 12. In 2019, Andrew Parchment ranked fourth in the league by averaging 69.3 receiving yards per game, becoming the first KU player to rank among the top-five Big 12 receivers in the category since 2009. In 2020 and '21, Kwamie Lassiter II ranked 11th (50.9 yards per game) and eighth (54.4 ypg) in the Big 12, respectively.
Jones's background is firmly rooted in the state of Texas. A highly respected figure from his time as head coach at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas from 2012-14, he made the jump to the collegiate ranks in 2015 when then-Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury hired him as director of player development. He was promoted the next year to outside receivers coach and spent three seasons in that role.
Regarded as a top developer of wide receivers in the college game, Jones helped build one of the nation's most productive offenses in his first stint at Texas Tech. In 2016, the Red Raiders led the nation in total offense (566.6 yards per game) and passing offense (463.0 ypg), and ranked fifth in the country in scoring offense (43.7 points per game).
In 2018 under Jones' tutelage, Tech receiver Antoine Wesley earned first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America after catching 88 passes for 1,410 yards and nine touchdowns. His receiving yard total ranked as the third-best in Tech history, behind only a pair of two other eventual NFL players in Michael Crabtree and Keke Coutee. Wesley ranked second nationally that season in receiving yards per game (117.5), third in total receiving yards and eighth in receptions per contest (7.3). He led the Big 12 in receiving yards and catches per game.
A Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, Wesley was one of four Red Raider outside receivers who made it to the NFL under Jones. The others were Dylan Cantrell (drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers and also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and the now-Washington Commanders), Derrick Willies (Cleveland Browns) and T.J. Vasher (Dallas Cowboys).
Jones led South Oak Cliff High School to a 30-8 record in his three seasons as head coach. The Golden Bears advanced deep into the Class 4A and 5A playoffs each of those three years. The school produced several FBS signees under Jones, including five players in the 2014 class alone.
Prior to his time at South Oak Cliff, Jones served as an assistant coach at multiple Dallas-area high schools. He spent seven seasons at Dallas Skyline High School, starting there as wide receivers coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator. Prior to that, he served on the Dallas Lincoln High School staff for the 2004 season. He began his coaching career at Seagoville High School, spending the 2001-03 seasons at his alma mater.
Jones was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech during the 1994 season before transferring to North Texas. He graduated from UNT in 1999.
He and his wife, Marlo, are the parents of a daughter, Emily, and a son, Emmett III.
EMMETT JONES' COACHING HISTORY
2022 - Texas Tech Passing Game Coordinator (Wide Receivers)
2019-21 - Kansas Assistant Coach (Wide Receivers)
2016-18 - Texas Tech Assistant Coach (Outside Receivers)
2015 - Texas Tech Director of Player Development
2012-14 - South Oak Cliff High School (Head Coach)
2005-11 - Dallas Skyline High School (Assistant Coach/Offensive Coordinator)
2004 - Dallas Lincoln High School (Assistant Coach)
2001-03 - Seagoville High School (Assistant Coach)
OU HEAD COACH BRENT VENABLES ON EMMETT JONES:
"Couldn't be more excited to welcome Emmett, his wife, Marlo, and their children, Emily and Emmett, to the OU family. Coach Jones is a great teacher of the game with a track record of positional development at the highest level. He's produced some great collegiate players who have gone on to the NFL and he's been around some of the brightest minds in college football in Kliff Kingsbury and Lance Leipold, and of course Joey McGuire this past year at Texas Tech. He's been incredibly successful wherever he's been, including in the high school ranks in the Dallas area. He's a coaching giant in Texas high school football.
"Emmett's been a connector at every stop. He's personable and relational. He's tough and demanding. Everywhere he's been he's made those places better. And everyone who's had a chance to be coached by him or work with him has nothing but incredible things to say about his character, his coaching acumen and his relationship-building ability. What I love about Emmett is he recognizes the University of Oklahoma's brand and the stage we're on, and wanted to be a part of it. He jumped at the opportunity to join this program and that means a lot. Many of our coaches know him and have been around him personally and professionally, and they all have incredible things to say about him and his family. The Jones family's got juice and energy and will really fit in well in the Norman community."
EMMETT JONES ON JOINING THE OU STAFF:
"The University of Oklahoma's tradition and the chance to work with Coach Venables made this an opportunity that was too hard to turn down. Also, I'd been researching and paying attention to Coach (Jeff) Lebby ever since I was back at South Oak Cliff and he was coaching running backs at Baylor. So I kept my eyes on him throughout his journey and especially at Ole Miss and this past year at OU. I feel like working with him -- one of the brightest minds in the game when it comes to offensive schemes -- will help me to continue to grow in this profession. And same thing with being able to soak up knowledge from Coach Venables.
"Oklahoma expects championships. I want to be around champions and I want to win multiple championships. I've coached in a couple of games in Norman and the game day atmosphere is incredible. Even going back to my time as a high school coach, players in our program got really excited to be recruited by Oklahoma. I remember how our guys would really perk up when they received information from OU. Just having a chance to be a part of that is like a dream come true. And in order for me to leave Texas Tech, I felt the situation would have to be perfect for me somewhere else. Oklahoma fit. It answered every question, crossed every 'T' and dotted every 'I.' And it's not far from Dallas. It was just a no-brainer.
"I'm a passionate coach, I'm all about relationships. I love to pull in and reach young men, love to be that person they want to be around. I coach hard, but I truly believe you have to establish deep relationships with these young men. That's something I feel like I specialize in. When it comes to the receiver position, I feel like I'm one of the best if not the best. I always try to enhance the position, try to find ways to set trends when it comes to development and challenging guys. OU is getting a family man, a team guy who loves being around the players. I'm all about toughness and hard work, and the players are getting a coach they're going to love being around, one who will represent the program with the utmost respect in every form and fashion."
VENABLES ON L'DAMIAN WASHINGTON, WHO WAS ELEVATED IN AUGUST FROM OFFENSIVE ANALYST TO INTERIM WIDE RECEIVERS COACH:
"We're trying to keep L'Damian in an enhanced role. He jumped right in the 'A' gap and did a fantastic job of making us better in our first season, improving our players and our offense. He's been bold and courageous and has been connected to both players and staff. I'm very thankful for his contributions and we're fighting like heck to keep him here. He brings tremendous value to our staff, our locker room and that position group."