Mizzou officially hires offensive line coach Brandon Jones, who earned high praise from past bosses

Missouri football made it official on Monday: It has its new offensive line coach. Brandon Jones, who formerly coached the same position at Houston, will take over the role, MU announced.

Jones fills the job vacated by Marcus Johnson, who moved to the offensive line coach job at Purdue.

“Brandon and his offensive line units have been a major factor in a number of high-powered offenses over the past decade in college football,” MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a news release. “Adding a veteran coach with Brandon’s background will be a tremendous asset."

Before joining the Tigers, Jones spent four seasons at Houston, beginning in 2019. He was promoted to run game coordinator by Cougar head coach Dana Holgorsen before the 2021 campaign, but was fired following a 2022 season where UH regressed to 8-4 from a 12-2 year.

Pro Football Focus rated Houston as the top pass-blocking team in the nation for the 2022 season. UH ranked 78th in rushing offense last season, with 141.8 yards per game.

[4:05 PM] Kwiecinski, Christopher

According to a Missouri football spokesperson, Jones' salary at MU will be $575,000 for the 2023 season.

“I’m extremely thankful to Coach Drinkwitz for this opportunity,” Jones said in the release. “As a college coach, you set your sights on competing against the best, and at Missouri and in the SEC you get to do that every day.”

Jones' team was 49th in sacks allowed in 2022 with 1.77. The Cougars fared significantly better than Missouri, which finished tied for 65th with 2.08 per game.

Before Holgorsen pried him away, Jones coached the offensive line at his alma mater, Texas Tech. He was with the Red Raiders for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

In addition to UH and Texas Tech, Jones coached the offensive line at East Carolina and California. He previously coached running backs and tight ends at Sam Houston State, and was an offensive assistant with the Red Raiders for his first coaching job.

He drew high praise from one of his old bosses.

“Brandon is one of the top offensive line coaches in college football," former NFL coach Kliff Kingsbury, who was the head coach at Texas Tech during Jones' tenure there, said in the release. "Everywhere he has been, he has done a phenomenal job recruiting and developing NFL caliber offensive linemen. He has been a part of many of the top offenses in college football over the years, and I know he will help Mizzou reach those same heights. Brandon is a tremendous coach and an even better person, and the university of Missouri is lucky to have him on board.”

Sonny Dykes, who led TCU to the national championship game this past season, joined Kingsbury in praising Jones.

“Brandon Jones is an outstanding football coach and person," Dykes said in the release. "He played for me at Texas Tech and then coached with me at Cal. He is an extremely intelligent, humble and hardworking individual who cares deeply about his players and makes them better in all aspects of the game. He is also an excellent recruiter. Brandon will be a great addition to Missouri. I’m very excited for him to have this opportunity. With great pride, I have followed his career and watched him become one of the top offensive line coaches in the country.”

Jones will take over an offensive line that will need to improve for the Tigers to have any success this season. Eli Drinkwitz was critical of the group during spring practice, particularly the center position.

“We gotta improve,” Drinkwitz said during spring practice. “Quite honestly, we haven’t been consistent enough snapping the football or consistent enough playing physical behind our pads with the correct pad level. So that’s a position that, we’ve got to even be open to moving other guys around to see who else can snap.”

With spring ball wrapped up, the Tigers will not hold full practices until fall camp begins. Missouri opens its season Sept. 2 at Faurot Field against South Dakota.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football hires Brandon Jones as offensive line coach