Official: Oklahoma Hires New Wide Receivers Coach
Brent Venables has found a new wide receivers coach.
On3’s Matt Zenitz reported on Tuesday that the Sooners are set to hire Texas Tech wide receivers coach Emmett Jones to the same position.
That news has now been formally announced by the school on Tuesday afternoon.
"Couldn't be more excited to welcome Emmett, his wife, Marlo, and their children, Emily and Emmett, to the OU family," Venables said in a release. "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."
"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," Jones said in the same release. "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."
Jones served as the outside receivers coach for the Red Raiders from 2016-2018 before taking over as the wide receivers coach at Kansas from 2019-2021.
He also served as the interim head coach for the Jayhawks during Kansas’ 2021 spring practice until Lance Leipold was officially hired as the head coach.
Jones returned to Lubbock this past season as a member of Joey McGuire’s first coaching staff at Texas Tech.
A graduate of North Texas in 1999, Jones spent 13 years working through the ranks as a coach in Texas high school football until landing a role with the Red Raiders as the Director of Player Development in 2015.
During his first stint at Texas Tech, Jones coached Antione Wesley, who was one of 11 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award in 2018.
In 2019, Jones coached Kansas wide receiver Andrew Parchment, who finished sixth in the Big 12 with 831 receiving yards. Parchment also added seven touchdowns in 2019.
Kwamie Lassiter II finished ninth in the conference in receiving yards, posting 653 yards through the air for the Jayhawks in 2021.
Last year, Jones had an impact on Jerand Bradley's development for the Red Raiders.
After catching just five balls for 99 yards as a true freshman in 2021, Bradley took on a much larger role in the Red Raider offense.
He finished with a team-high 751 receiving yards in 2022, which rankes No. 12-overall in the Big 12.
Bradley was especially devastating against the Sooners, as he hauled in nine passes for 180 yards and a touchdown in Texas Tech's 51-48 overtime victory over Oklahoma.
Jones bolsters OU's recruiting foothold in Texas, as his time as a player in Denton and as an assistant coach in Dallas will only further Oklahoma's connections in the recruiting hotbed.
The hole at wide receivers coach on Oklahoma’s staff opened up shockingly on Aug. 7 just as the Sooners were starting fall camp.
Longtime OU assistant Cale Gundy resigned from the post, and L’Damian Washington was elevated into the role on an interim basis for the 2022 season.
"We're trying to keep L'Damian in an enhanced role," Venables said. "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."
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