Joining OU football a 'no brainer' for Emmett Jones, who is a big fan of his receivers

NORMAN — Emmett Jones was a fan of OU from afar.

After playing college football for Texas Tech and UTEP from 1993-96, Jones began his coaching career in 2001 as an assistant at Seagoville High School, which is located in the suburbs of Dallas.

Jones spent the next 13 years in the area, coaching for four different high school programs. And while it was far from the big leagues, he modeled his approach after OU.

"Everything we did, it was cut and paste straight from Oklahoma," Jones said. "The mindset. The grit. The style. The physicality. The intimidation. All of that. It came from the University of Oklahoma.

"I always said to myself, 'If I ever get the chance to work with these guys (at OU), that's a no brainer for me.'"

That chance came this past offseason.

After spending last year as Texas Tech's wide receivers coach, Jones accepted the same position at OU on Jan. 10. It's an opportunity Jones has been dreaming of since his high school coaching days.

"I'm still amazed, man," Jones said. "I'm still like on cloud ninety-nine, to be honest with you. It's every bit of what everybody thinks about OU."

Here are three takeaways from Jones' first media availability as a member of OU's staff on Thursday:

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Rubbing shoulders with Jeff Lebby

Jones had a brief encounter with OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby last season.

OU traveled to Lubbock, Texas, on Nov. 26 to face Texas Tech. Jones was the Red Raiders' wide receivers coach at the time, and he was helping with punt return drills at midfield during pregame warmups.

Jones backed up and bumped into a member of OU's staff. It was Lebby.

"There was something about that bump right there," Jones said with a smile. "There was something about that bump."

Jones' intuition was correct. He received a call from Lebby a few days later, which got the ball rolling on the hiring process.

Jones now works alongside Lebby, who helped OU rank first in the Big 12 last season in total yards of offense per game (474).

"He's probably one of the best offensive coordinators in the country," Jones said. "It's a different offense for me, and I want to continue to grow. It's an opportunity to work for him and with him. Like I said, no brainer."

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High praise for Jalil Farooq

Despite being new to Norman, Jones already knows what he has in Jalil Farooq.

The junior wide receiver caught 37 passes for 466 yards and five touchdowns last season, and he's poised for an even stronger campaign this time around.

Farooq is expected to be OU's top wide receiver following the departure of Marvin Mims, who is set to hear his name get called in the early rounds of the upcoming NFL Draft. The bar has been set high for Farooq, but Jones believes it's warranted.

"He's probably one of the best guys I've ever been around," Jones said of Farooq. "He reminds me of Keke Coutee or Andrew Parchment."

Both of those guys are now playing pro ball.

Coutee earned All-Big 12 first team honors with Texas Tech in 2017 before getting selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, Parchment spent two seasons at Kansas (2019-2020) before signing an undrafted free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers in 2022.

Farooq has the potential to boost his draft stock this season. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver has good speed and hands, making him a big-play threat.

And while Jones has only gotten to work with Farooq for a short amount of time, the two have already built a good rapport.

"It's a unique skillset," Jones said of Farooq. "And he wants to be coached. He wants to be developed. He wants to be challenged."

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Trust in Drake Stoops

Farooq isn't the only returning wide receiver that Jones trusts.

Drake Stoops is also back in the mix for his sixth season. The former Norman North standout hopes to build off a strong 2022 campaign where he posted career-highs of 39 catches, 393 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Stoops boasts the steadiest hands in OU's receivers room, and Jones trusts him with doing more than just catching passes.

"He'll give you everything he's got, and he'll fight for you," Jones said of Stoops. "I told the coaches, I would walk down any dark alley in South Dallas with him. Any dark alley."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU football: WR coach Emmett Jones praises Drake Stoops' toughness