Emmett Jones named WR coach at OU
Oklahoma fit. It answered every question – that’s the way Emmett Jones described why he’s making the leap to Norman.
Jones was formally announced as OU wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator by head coach Brent Venables on Tuesday afternoon.
Jones had the same title this previous season at Texas Tech, and it was going to take a whole heck of a lot for him to depart Lubbock for the second time.
That’s what OU offers, though.
"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,” said Jones in a press 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.”
The wide receiver coach position was chaotic for the Sooners this season. Longtime coach Cale Gundy abruptly resigned just weeks before the season in the middle of preseason camp.
Analyst L’Damian Washington was promoted to interim receivers coach this season and earned the respect of players and staff alike. He helped guide Marvin Mims to a 1,000-yard season and helped sophomore Jalil Farooq have a breakout season, but nobody knew what it meant for his long-term future at OU.
The addition of Jones makes it unclear at the moment what Washington will do, but Venables expressed a huge desire to keep Washington in the OU family.
“We're trying to keep L'Damian in an enhanced role,” said Venables in the press release. “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.”
As for Jones and OU, this was a no-brainer for the Sooners, especially as Venables strives to lock down OU’s home base. That home base has always included the Dallas Metroplex, and there are very few coaches in the game with as many ties and connections to the area than Jones.
Jones has been a rising star on the offensive scene ever since taking over as Texas Tech’s wide receiver coach in 2016.
He was with the Red Raiders, for the first time, from 2016-18, before going to Kansas as an assistant coach and wide receivers coach from 2019-21. He was even the interim head coach for the Jayhawks before KU landed on Lance Leipold.
Jones returned to Texas Tech when Joey McGuire landed the head coaching job as McGuire has made the state of Texas high school coaches a major emphasis. Jones added the title of passing game coordinator for his second stint with the Red Raiders and helped them to the 8-5 record in 2022.
Texas high school ranks are where Jones got his start. Before he broke on through in Lubbock, Jones was making his name throughout the Dallas Metroplex area as the head coach at South Oak Cliff and as an assistant at Dallas Skyline for years before that.
“Couldn't be more excited to welcome Emmett, his wife, Marlo, and their children, Emily and Emmett, to the OU family,” Venables said. “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.”
Jones has a lot of work to do as OU has been gutted at receiver with the transfer portal and the NFL Draft. The Sooners have lost four receivers in the last month, including two prominent ones in Theo Wease (Missouri) and Marvin Mims (NFL Draft).
OU added its first receiver portal addition in former Michigan receiver Andrel Anthony, who picked the Sooners on Tuesday afternoon. Jones will have to get to work quickly to replenish the room and see what else OU can get from the portal in the next week before the window closes.
“Oklahoma expects championships,” Jones said. “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. Just having a chance to be a part of that is like a dream come true.
“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.”