Head coach T.C. Taylor and the Jackson State Tigers made a splash in the coaching realm by bringing back former Tiger Javancy Jones onto the staff. Jones will serve as the special team's coordinator and outside linebackers coach. Previously, Jones was the defensive coordinator for Lewisville High School. The team won three state championships in five years under his tenure.

“It's an honor and a blessing to be back home,” Jones said. “When you bleed that blue and white… that's all you know.”

Jones played for the Jackson State Tigers not too long ago. In 2015 and 2016, he was an FCS All-American as a hybrid outside linebacker and defensive end. Across his collegiate career, he totaled 351 tackles, 77 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, and forced four fumbles.

At the end of his time at Jackson State, Jones declared for the NFL Draft. Though he didn't get drafted, he received an invitation and a contract from the Arizona Cardinals to come to their mini-camp.

“While I was up there, I ended up tweaking my knee,” Jones told Kendrick Marshall in an interview with HBCU Sports. “I found out I was at the last stage of arthritis. I remember when coach Larry Foote told me to go home and pray about it. He told me, ‘If you want to stay here, leave your stuff at the hotel. But if you want to go home, bring your stuff and we will figure things out from there.'”

Jones eventually left Arizona. Despite getting calls from other teams, like the Tennessee Titans, he knew it was best to leave his football career behind.

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“I knew I had arthritis in my feet and hands,” he said. “With my knees, it got serious. I knew I had a health issue and had to think about my little girl and I didn't want to be in a wheelchair going through her childhood.”

Jones, however, never set out to dominate in the NFL. His heart was always in teaching and coaching. “I was going to use football and not let football use me,” he said.

He'll get to continue that passion back at his alma mater as they contend for another SWAC Championship.