Skyler Jones is in his first season as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator on the Norfolk State football staff.
Jones joins NSU after spending the previous three seasons as the defensive line coach at Southern University. Under the leadership of Jones, defensive end Jordan Lewis was a three-time All-SWAC honoree and was twice named an FCS All-American. During the spring 2021 season, he was named both the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and the winner of the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the top defensive player in the country, after leading the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss. Lewis also led the SWAC in sacks in 2018.
Two other Jaguars earned All-SWAC honors under Jones’ tutelage, Joe Davis in 2018 and Jalen Ivy this past spring.
Prior to being elevated to full-time assistant coach, Jones served three years as a graduate assistant coach at Southern from 2015-17 working with the defensive line.
A native of New Orleans, Jones relocated to Dallas after Hurricane Katrina and graduated from Richardson High School in 2010. He earned a four-year scholarship to Bethany College, where he garnered all-conference honors as a defensive tackle and served as team captain. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Bethany in 2014 and his master’s in criminal justice with a concentration in law enforcement from Southern University in 2018.
