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Jones comes to Oxford after five seasons at Oklahoma State, where his teams amassed a 49-16 record. In his nine seasons as a college coach, his teams have made a bowl game appearance every year.

“Jason’s experience and energy makes him a perfect fit for our staff, and we’re excited to get him on campus and ready for spring practice,” Freeze said. “He has been a winner at every stop throughout his career, and he has a proven track record as a recruiter. I look forward to coaching alongside him as our team continues its journey.”

In his time in Stillwater, Jones coached three different Cowboy corners to first team All-Big 12 honors and a pair of Thorpe Award semifinalists in Perrish Cox (2009) and Brodrick Brown (2011). Cox was a first team All-American in 2009, as well.

With Jones serving as position coach, Cox led the nation in passes defended per game in 2009 and Brown ranked third in the same category in 2011. As a team, OSU led the nation with 44 turnovers forced in 2011 and was fifth with 34 in 2010.

Jones came to Stillwater from Tulsa, where he served as cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator in 2007. He helped the Golden Hurricane to a 10-4 record, an appearance in the Conference USA championship game, and a 63-7 win over Bowling Green in the 2008 GMAC Bowl.

He also had successful stints at Rice in 2006 and Tulsa in 2005. Jones began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 2004.

Born Nov. 13, 1977, Jones is a 2001 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in financial planning. He was a two-year starter at defensive back for the Crimson Tide and was part of three bowl teams, an SEC West championship in 1996 and SEC championship in 1999.

Jones earned a master’s degree from Alabama in sports management in 2005. He and his wife Kysha have three children, Andrew, Jace and Jarah.

Jones, who will have play-calling duties in the Rebels’ secondary, replaces previous co-defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff, who recently joined the New Orleans Saints coaching staff in the NFL.

via Rebels Strengthen Defensive Staff With Jason Jones – OLEMISSSPORTS.COM – OLE MISS Official Athletic Site.

MSU’s NFL Pro Day took place Wednesday morning, stretching into the afternoon, an opportunity for several Bulldogs to show their mettle to scouts from around the country.

Within a group of around a dozen, millions of dollars were on the line.

Guys like Johnthan Banks and Chad Bumphis had four years of game tape, but their last hurdle was proving to teams that they also have the necessary speed.

Banks, who ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, managed to improve on his time significantly, being hand-clocked as low as a very unofficial 4.51, impressing scouts and possibly cementing his status as a first-round pick in April.

Full story at  Bulldog Football Players Go Through Paces Of NFL Pro Day – Mississippi State University Bulldogs Official Athletic Site – HailState.com.

Interview with Dave Johnson of Rebels247

Jones was discovered by Mississippi State coaches at a 7 on 7 summer camp when he attended basically as an afterthought. Jones left quite an impression at the camp and the rest of his story is history.

Check out the full SI article by clicking below.

via Mississippi State signee Chris Jones’ rise into the spotlight – College Football – Ben Glicksman – SI.com.

The quarterback position in particular will be stacked next year in Mississippi. And not just in college, but the young batch of high school quarterbacks are also very promising. We’ll be talking about quarterbacks on Gridiron Radio with Chris Brooks Friday, including a vote of who the better returning quarterback is between Bo Wallace and Tyler Russell. It is a very good argument, and at the very least it is nice to have two great returning signal-callers in Mississippi.

Bo Wallace – Bo is the returning Conerly Trophy winner from last season. Most impressively, he won the Conerly while playing most of the year with a separated throwing shoulder. He passed for 2,994 yards, and added another 390 yards rushing. He accounted for 30 total touchdowns and led the Rebels to wins in the Egg Bowl and Compass Bowl.

Tyler Russell – Tyler led the Bulldogs to an 8-5 season in his first year as the full-time starter. He set numerous school records including 2,897 yards passing and 24 touchdowns. Russell threw only 10 interceptions all season and added two more touchdowns rushing. He completed 231-394 passes.

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But Steve’s story has me writing something a bit different that I have intended to write for several months myself. I’ve followed recruiting in Mississippi for decades as a fan, and have seen how the internet and social media have changed how it is covered. Often, not for the good.

The people who cover it professionally are now often objects of internet wrath like no other media person I’ve ever seen. People like Steve are ripped to shreds on internet message boards and chat rooms by those who dare them write anything negative about their school of choice. And it’s not isolated to Steve. The Clarion Ledger jumped into this game this year with John Talty, who almost instantly received similar treatment. Yancy Porter of the Ole Miss Spirit knows it far too well also, as do many in the media. It just comes with the job.

It’s easy to forget these people have lives outside of a keyboard, and aren’t the evil darkside of everything that is standing in the way of your team’s quest for championship glory.

I don’t know what goes on in the personal lives of people. I realize there are sometimes those who don’t conduct themselves professionally, but I’ve learned to trust my own eyes and ears more than anything the last few years with my involvement with recruiting. I do know that Steve has been great to me when he didn’t know me from anyone. And I’ve seen him basically tell an abbreviated story of the full version he published today, to kids who need to hear it. I’ve seen him spend time with the 2-star recruits trying to find a scholarship anywhere, giving them advice on how to find it and offering help to see them get it.

I can’t say I have experienced Steve’s life mistakes, but I have seen how chemical dependency can completely ruin a life and a family from inside my own family. The story he shared today was I’m sure very difficult to write. And while I was fortunate to stay out of trouble, I can relate to a moment in time in which God has changed a life with my own personal moment on February 13 of 1997. Those are tough things to talk about, but it lets people know there is a reality to these media people and internet personalities not seen from the view of a computer screen.

Just keep that in mind next time you want to tear another person to shreds while knowing about 10% of the story, if that much. Not just for Steve, but for all of these people making a living by covering an industry that has exploded the last decade. It would make it much enjoyable for all involved.

You can read Steve’s story titled “All I Am” by clicking below.

via Scout.com: All I Am.

For instance, he uses future All-America potential as a baseline to determine the success of each player. According to Matt’s research,  a 5-star recruit has a 26.6% chance of one day becoming a college All-American. A 4-star recruit becomes an all-American 6.4 % of thetime. The 3-star recruits have a 1.8% chance of becoming a future All-American, and the 2-star players reach All-American status .8% of the time.

Keep in mind while there might be several 2-star or 3-star players who reach All-American levels, there are more than 2,000 of those type recruits ever year compared to fewer than forty 5-star recruits.

It’s a great article with a lot of information. You can read the full story at the link below.

via Recruiting by the numbers: Why the sites get the rankings right – CBSSports.com.

After hauling in a consensus top-10 rated signing class last week, rated as high as No. 2 by 247Sports.com, the Ole Miss staff has received an enormous amount of national attention and praise.

On Tuesday, Rivals.com announced its list of the top 25 recruiters in the nation, which included co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Wesley McGriff.

247Sports.com listed Kiffin, McGriff and tight ends coach Maurice Harris among its top 50 recruiters from 2013.

McGriff, who was the lead recruiter for Robert Nkemdiche (nation’s top overall prospect) and Laquon Treadwell (nation’s top wide receiver), among others, also received consideration for 247Sport.com’s national recruiter of the year.

via Rebel Assistant Coaches Reel In National Honors – OLEMISSSPORTS.COM – OLE MISS Official Athletic Site.