LOS ANGELES — Anthony Jones Jr. couldn’t ignore the twinkle in his wife Christina’s eyes when he decided to accept the position he’d been mulling over for a handful of days.
“She has a great crush on Reggie Bush,” Jones said Tuesday, after his seventh practice as USC’s running backs coach.
Her adoration for Bush mirrors her husband’s unabashed enthusiasm. Jones was announced as USC’s running backs coach March 4, opting to leave his post at Texas Christian University, where Garrett Riley was the offensive coordinator before leaving for Clemson, for Southern California, where Garrett’s older brother Lincoln enters his third season as head coach.
He chose the challenge of inspiring a running back room that lost its leading rushers, MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones, over NFL job offers. Jones didn’t share specific details on the nature of those potential opportunities at the next level, but it’s clear he’s confident in where he belongs.
“It’s college football,” he said. “It’s the greatest sport God has ever created. You think about all the rivalries and the tailgates. It’s kind of who I am.”
USC appealed to him because of the program’s history of success, especially at running back. He’s reminded of that each day, walking past the Hall of Fame across from Howard Jones Field, plaques littered with names such as Bush and Marcus Allen.
Jones isn’t a stranger to NFL talent. He’s helped develop running backs such as Tony Pollard (Cowboys), Antonio Gibson (Patriots), Kenneth Gainwell (Eagles), Kendre Miller (Saints) and a slew of others. He brings pedigree and an unparalleled energy to a room where those traits will be welcomed.
“He checked every box for us, and he’s been fantastic,” Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley said. “It’s not easy to get somewhere a couple days before you’re out on the field starting spring ball.”
Within a few days of his arrival, Jones had the whole team entranced in his drill. His contagious fire came across in a video that surfaced on X recording players as they took part in a grueling conditioning exercise that concluded with the team running after them, as one, into the Coliseum.
it’s discipline over everything.
— USC Football (@uscfb) March 7, 2024
He’s taken little time to ingratiate with a younger running back room consisting of two returners, sophomore Quinten Joyner and redshirt freshman A’Marion Peterson. The two will likely split snaps with fifth-year senior Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks, who transferred to USC from Mississippi State.
Marks, who’s had a rotation of four different positional coaches in five seasons, will provide experience and advice regarding turnover to Jones’ group. The coach, though, prefers college football to the NFL because of projects like the one Joyner presents.
“I love seeing a young man going from Point A to Point B to Point C,” he said.
After a freshman season in which he averaged 6.9 yards per carry on a marginal sample size of 18 attempts, Joyner represents a possible example of linear improvement. Barring an influx of talent in the next transfer cycle, he will have a defined role in the Trojans offense. In his one month working with Jones, he’s shown glimpses of fulfilling that upward path his coach referenced.
“The thing I like about Quinten,” Jones said. “He’s shown growth.”
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Jones tried to recruit Joyner to TCU, but now that he’s at USC himself, he can’t blame Joyner for his choice. The academics, the location, Jones Jr. mentioned both as convincing factors.
There’s aspects, though, that still surprise the weathered coach: the amount of recent rainfall in Los Angeles and the different verbiage Lincoln uses, in comparison to his brother, Garrett.
And Jones is still adapting to life as a Trojan. But, watch that video set outside the Coliseum or spend five minutes listening to him speak, and maybe another 15 minutes watching him instruct and it’s evident: His coaching style is rooted in passion.
