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January 10, 2025FB: App State Hires Jones as Defensive Assistant Coach
Jan. 9, 2025
Contact: Joey Jones (jo*****@ap******.edu)
Secondary contact: Bret Strelow (st******@ap******.edu)
BOONE, N.C. — App State Football head coach Dowell Loggains announced Thursday the hiring of Keith Jones Jr. as a defensive assistant coach.
Jones arrives in Boone after spending the last two seasons as a member of the New England Patriots’ coaching staff.
“Keith has gained tremendous experience coaching in the NFL after spending time in both the Sun Belt and SEC,” Loggains said. “He has great energy, and I’m excited to see his impact on our program.”
Jones assisted with coaching the Patriots’ defensive line for the last two seasons after also assisting the defensive line groups in graduate assistant roles at Arkansas in 2022 and Arkansas State in 2021. Loggains and Jones worked together on staff with the Razorbacks during the 2022 season.
Jones earned his first opportunity with the Patriots while working the 2022 training camp as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship.
“I am very appreciative and excited for this opportunity to coach at Appalachian State University,” Jones said. “App State is an historic program with a great winning tradition that we want to continue to contribute to, as well as molding these great men into leaders of today’s society!”
Following an award-winning playing career in college and the Indoor Football League, Jones got his coaching start overseeing the defensive tackles at Missouri Southern State University in 2020.
A native of Florissant, Mo., just outside of St. Louis, Jones was a standout defensive lineman at UT Martin, where he was a second-team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a senior by recording a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He started 36 of his final 41 games with the Skyhawks.
After graduating from UT Martin with a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance, he went on to star in the Indoor Football League. He was named first-team All-IFL and won a league title while playing for the Iowa Barnstormers in 2018. He spent the 2019 season with the Tucson Sugar Skulls.
Jones was a three-sport prep standout at McCleur North High School, where he competed in football, basketball and track and field.
JONES AT A GLANCE
Coaching Experience
2020: Missouri Southern (Defensive tackles)
2021: Arkansas State (Graduate assistant – Defensive line)
2022: Arkansas (Graduate assistant – Defensive line)
2023-24: New England Patriots (Defensive assistant)
Playing Experience
2012-16: UT Martin (DL)
2018: Iowa Barnstormers (IFL)
2019: Tucson Sugar Skulls (IFL)
Alma Mater: UT Martin, 2016
Hometown: Florissant, Mo.
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