Anthony Jones is the new running backs coach at USC football. There are a number of obvious reasons Lincoln Riley tabbed Jones to replace the very effective Kiel McDonald at the position on the Trojans’ coaching staff. One is Jones’ clear track record of improvement at his various stops.
USC football analyst Josh Webb dove into the details:
“When Jones took over at Cordova High in Tennessee,” Webb told us, “his teams exceeded the national averages with his running game. In rushing attempts, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns, Cordova usually exceeded the national average in every category, with the exception of one specific instance in one year. In 2014, Jones’ second year with the team, the total of rushing touchdowns that year, 16, was below the national average of 22. However, Cordova still beat the national average in yards and rushing attempts that year and every other year Jones was there. Rushing touchdowns were above average in Jones’ other seasons at Cordova. His running attacks were consistently above-average.
“The college game took notice of this and Memphis hired him to coach the Tigers’ running backs. In his first year with the team in 2018, Memphis saw a 35% increase in the total number of rushing attempts, a 52% increase in their total rushing yards, and a 45% increase in touchdowns. Even their yards per attempt jumped up by a significant margin going from 5.66 yards to 6.37 yards per carry, an increase of 12%.”
Improvement was real under Anthony Jones, who then helped TCU make the national championship game in the 2022 season. No wonder USC hired him.
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