Football
Anthony Jones Jr.
- Title:
- Running Backs Coach / Run Game Coordinator | 2nd Season
Anthony Jones arrived at TCU in March 2022 as running backs coach.
In his first season, Jones made an immediate impact as his running backs played a major role in the Horned Frogs reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Kendre Miller, a third-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints, earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist. His 1,399 yards made him TCU's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2016. It was also the most by a Horned Frog since LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation with 2,158 in 2000. Fifth-year senior Emari Demercado also had a career-best season with 681 yards rushing, including 150 in the CFP Semifinal win over Michigan. He signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones joined the Horned Frogs after four seasons (2018-21) as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis. The Tigers made a bowl appearance each season. The 2021 Memphis team totaled at least 400 yards of offense in seven games, including 680 in a win at Arkansas State and 614 at Tulsa.
Jones made his mark at Memphis with four running backs drafted in a three-year period. He was selected for the AFCA 35 Under 35 Leadership Institute as well as the 2022 NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy.
In his first two seasons with the running backs, Memphis totaled 6,533 rushing yards and 78 touchdowns. In 2020, Jones and the running backs helped Memphis rank 22nd in the nation in total offense (453.1) while finishing the year 17th in both passing offense (307.9) and first downs (260).
In the 2021 NFL Draft, Kenneth Gainwell was picked in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Gainwell was the 2019 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and Football Writers Association of America Freshman of the Year. He was second in the AAC and 12th nationally in rushing with 1,459 yards.
At Memphis, Jones also coached Antonio Gibson into a third-round selection by the Washington Football Team in the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2019, Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard were both drafted. Henderson was selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams, while Pollard was taken in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys.
Jones was a wide receiver at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he earned first-team All-SoCon honors. After his playing career at Chattanooga, he spent 2007 as a graduate assistant coach with the Mocs. He then returned to his high school alma mater, Westwood in Memphis, as an assistant coach from 2007-10. He became the program’s head coach in 2010.
As Westwood's head coach, he guided the Longhorns to their first winning season in 18 years. It marked the first of three straight conference and regional championships (2010, 2011, 2012).
In 2013, Jones left to take over the program at Cordova High School. His first season at Cordova saw it post the first winning season in nine years. Three years later, his 2016 Wolves registered the most wins (12) in school history and advanced to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Division I Class 6A state playoffs semifinal round, before falling to the eventual state champions. In 2017, Jones led Cordova to an 8-3 record and a TSSAA Division I Class 6A playoff appearance.
In six seasons at the high school level, Jones coached 75 players to football scholarships.
Jones was named an AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game assistant coach three times (2012, 2014 and 2015) and was selected to coach in the 2017 Toyota East-West All-Star Classic in Clarksville, Tenn. Jones was awarded District 16A Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012 and also the District 14A Coach of the Year in 2013.
A 2007 Chattanooga graduate with a degree in business, Jones holds a master’s degree in education from Union University.
Jones and his wife, Christina, have two children: Kenzie and Kaylie.
In his first season, Jones made an immediate impact as his running backs played a major role in the Horned Frogs reaching the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Kendre Miller, a third-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints, earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist. His 1,399 yards made him TCU's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2016. It was also the most by a Horned Frog since LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation with 2,158 in 2000. Fifth-year senior Emari Demercado also had a career-best season with 681 yards rushing, including 150 in the CFP Semifinal win over Michigan. He signed a free-agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
Jones joined the Horned Frogs after four seasons (2018-21) as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Memphis. The Tigers made a bowl appearance each season. The 2021 Memphis team totaled at least 400 yards of offense in seven games, including 680 in a win at Arkansas State and 614 at Tulsa.
Jones made his mark at Memphis with four running backs drafted in a three-year period. He was selected for the AFCA 35 Under 35 Leadership Institute as well as the 2022 NCAA and NFL Coaches Academy.
In his first two seasons with the running backs, Memphis totaled 6,533 rushing yards and 78 touchdowns. In 2020, Jones and the running backs helped Memphis rank 22nd in the nation in total offense (453.1) while finishing the year 17th in both passing offense (307.9) and first downs (260).
In the 2021 NFL Draft, Kenneth Gainwell was picked in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Gainwell was the 2019 American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and Football Writers Association of America Freshman of the Year. He was second in the AAC and 12th nationally in rushing with 1,459 yards.
At Memphis, Jones also coached Antonio Gibson into a third-round selection by the Washington Football Team in the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2019, Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard were both drafted. Henderson was selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Rams, while Pollard was taken in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys.
Jones was a wide receiver at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he earned first-team All-SoCon honors. After his playing career at Chattanooga, he spent 2007 as a graduate assistant coach with the Mocs. He then returned to his high school alma mater, Westwood in Memphis, as an assistant coach from 2007-10. He became the program’s head coach in 2010.
As Westwood's head coach, he guided the Longhorns to their first winning season in 18 years. It marked the first of three straight conference and regional championships (2010, 2011, 2012).
In 2013, Jones left to take over the program at Cordova High School. His first season at Cordova saw it post the first winning season in nine years. Three years later, his 2016 Wolves registered the most wins (12) in school history and advanced to the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Division I Class 6A state playoffs semifinal round, before falling to the eventual state champions. In 2017, Jones led Cordova to an 8-3 record and a TSSAA Division I Class 6A playoff appearance.
In six seasons at the high school level, Jones coached 75 players to football scholarships.
Jones was named an AutoZone Liberty Bowl High School All-Star Game assistant coach three times (2012, 2014 and 2015) and was selected to coach in the 2017 Toyota East-West All-Star Classic in Clarksville, Tenn. Jones was awarded District 16A Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012 and also the District 14A Coach of the Year in 2013.
A 2007 Chattanooga graduate with a degree in business, Jones holds a master’s degree in education from Union University.
Jones and his wife, Christina, have two children: Kenzie and Kaylie.
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