TCU assistant coaches open up about diversity issues and opportunities in college football

The college football coaching carousel is finally coming to a close, barring any unexpected coaching changes.

Each coaching cycle offers a chance to see how much the industry continues to progress in its diversity, especially with Black assistants. There were 31 openings this cycle and five jobs went to Black coaches. There were some positives, such as a number of Black coaches — like Fran Brown (Syracuse) and Dell McGee (Georgia State) — who rose from position coaches to head coaches, difficult for any coach regardless of color.

On the other hand, Black coaches accounted for less than 20% of the new head coaching hires. There are 134 Division I programs with less than 20 Black head coaches. Every step of progress is followed by a reminder that there is still so much work to be done.

In honor of Black History Month, the Star-Telegram sat down with Black TCU assistants Anthony Jones and JaMarkus McFarland to talk about diversity, their coaching goals and why they got into the profession:

Why they got into coaching

Jones and McFarland took different paths to Fort Worth. Before Jones was a running backs coach he played football at Chattanooga, graduating in 2007. He hoped his time playing would eventually lead to the NFL, but he was able to be honest with himself about his pro prospects.

“I started thinking about coaching when the NFL didn’t call,” Jones said with a laugh in his office. “When I was watching it instead of trying to play it was evident I wasn’t that type of player. But I always had a heart that just wanted to help people and mentor people. I thought there was a path at the high school level because those kids are in the most vulnerable stages.”

Jones wanted to give back and help nurture kids in the community who looked like him and grew up in a similar environment. After spending some time as an assistant, Jones eventually became the head coach at his alma mater, Westwood in Memphis.

“I just wanted to help the kids in my neighborhood, help the kids in my city,” Jones said. “And then God put me back in my neighborhood.”

Meanwhile McFarland was a four-year letterman at Oklahoma from 2009-12. He was an All-Big 12 selection his senior year and a pro prospect. He had no desire to be a coach, or so he thought.

“I always told myself I wouldn’t be a coach,” McFarland said. “I even told my mom that I felt like (coaching) was the easy way out. My mom laughed at me and said that anybody that’s done something as long as you’ve played football they’re the CEO or VP of a company if they’ve done it that long.”

While he had his doubts about coaching, McFarland actually had the ideal background for it, studying human relations at Oklahoma and even getting a master’s degree in the field. After playing briefly for the San Diego Chargers and in Canada, McFarland met a young boy who would set him on the coaching path.

“There was this lady, she had a son that was 9 years old and he was about to start playing tackle football,” McFarland said. “She wanted me to train him and I was still in shape, getting ready for a pro day. So I go to teach him tackling and it’s just supposed to be 45 minutes and his mom says I’ll pay you 60 bucks. We ended up out there for three hours.”

The joy of seeing the boy’s improvement in real time stuck with McFarland and he couldn’t give coaching up. It turned from one boy to a couple and then that turned into McFarland helping out the freshman team at Norman North High. While helping out at Norman McFarland ran into his old coach Bob Stoops, who had two sons enrolled at the high school.

“He was like ‘JMac you like coaching?’” McFarland said. “I told him, ‘Coach I love it.’ He was like ‘You’re crazy as hell, but I’ll remember you said that.’

Stoops indeed remembered and McFarland would land a graduate assistant spot with the Sooners during 2016-18 that would help launch his coaching career. Meanwhile,after leading Westwood to its best season in two decades, Jones was now at another high school in Memphis called Cordova.

Like Westwood, it was a predominantly Black high school with a number of kids and athletes coming from less than ideal situations.

Jones led Cordova to its most success in program history with a 12-win season and an appearance in the state semifinals. In six seasons at the high school level, 75 athletes received scholarships under Jones.



That was more important than the games won.

“It was always about the kids,” Jones said. “It was all about how we can get the players from one spot to the next spot. They wanted to be held accountable, they just kind of wanted a father figure, so I felt like that was my ministry.”

Ambitions and diversity

Since their humble beginnings both Jones and McFarland have become two of the best coaches at their positions. Four running backs were drafted during Jones’ stint with Memphis, and at TCU, he helped Kendre Miller have the best season of his career before he was drafted by the Saints. Emani Bailey could be the next talented tailback mentored by Jones to be drafted.

Running backs like Emari Demercado (Cardinals) and Patrick Taylor (Packers) were undrafted, but have managed to stay on active rosters with Demercado actually rushing for two touchdowns and almost 300 yards as a rookie.

McFarland was recently recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in Texas under 40 by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine. He helped Dylan Horton produce his career season and has a number of promising defensive linemen under his tutelage like Damonic Williams.

For Jones, his goal is clear, he wants to be a head coach.

“I want to be a FBS head coach,” Jones said. “I love the college game, I love impacting people. I love the maturation process that goes on during college. You like to see those transformations.”

McFarland also wants to rise up in the coaching profession, but acknowledged he was mainly taking everything in. It still feels surreal at times for him to be an assistant coach at one of the best programs in the Big 12.

“I got asked in 2016 what I wanted to be in five years, I said I wanted to be a full-time FBS assistant,” McFarland said. “Fast forward to December 2021 I had a choice to make: whether to stay at Stephen F. Austin as the defensive coordinator or go to Louisiana Tech as the defensive line coach. ... Fast forward to (December 2022) and I’m coaching in the Big 12 title game.”

McFarland said he’s addicted to growth and as long as he feels like he’s doing that then he’s comfortable in Fort Worth. Jones is too, to be clear, and both have the traits necessary to move up if and when the time comes.

At Memphis, Jones coached with Mike Norvell (now at Florida State) to help the Tigers have their best stretch in program history. His ability as a recruiter and developer of talent is well-known. He has shown a knack for an eye for talent. He was listed as the primary recruiter for up and coming Horned Frogs Avion Carter and Markis Deal on the defensive line, with both being four-star Texas recruits.

Neither seemed surprised about the numbers regrading Black coaches.

“I’m discouraged a little, but I’ve got to hold onto my faith,” Jones said. “It’s disheartening to see and the first thing you wonder is why is that the case? When you look at the rosters for most teams I’m pretty sure it’s more than 50% African-American in most cases and the second question is how can we reverse it?”

There’s only so much they can do aside from constantly trying to make themselves the best candidates possible.

“I’m not surprised, this is a part of what’s going on,” McFarland said. “I think the challenge to me as a young Black coach is to be ready when the opportunity presents itself. The challenge is to grow because you could open the door for future coaches.

“Control your controllables and that’s what I can control, continuing to grow to get better when the opportunity presents itself whether it’s coordinating or as a head coach.”

Most head coaches were a coordinator at some point. Making the transition from a position coach to coordinator can be difficult for Black assistants.

According to Associated Press, entering the 2022 season less than 10% of offensive coordinators were Black despite 44% of assistant coaches being Black. It’s been one of the more frustrating roadblocks for Jones, who has an extensive background in offense as a coach and player.

“How do you get that opportunity?” Jones asked. “You know as a running backs coach most of the times it’s oh you’re a good running back coach and a great recruiter. How do you get out of that seat you’re sitting in? Somebody has to give you a chance.”

Jones said he’s spent time in the off-season asking his colleagues what they value in an offensive coordinator, from schemes to philosophy to recruiting. Like McFarland, Jones takes every opportunity to try to and grow as a coach, not only to help his players at TCU, but to also prepare himself for a leadership opportunity should it come.

Whether or not that opportunity will come unfortunately is largely out of their hands. The coaching industry is like many others, where sometimes who you know can be more valuable than what you know or what’s on your résumé.

“It’s all about the trust factor, you see guys all the time hire guys they know, guys they feel comfortable with,” Jones said. “That’s fine to a certain extent, but how can we put ourselves in a position to say ‘Hey, coach I can do this.’”

Maybe a bounce back season by the Horned Frogs this year will be enough to generate more opportunities, maybe it’ll take more. All Jones and McFarland can do is keep doing what they’ve been doing- developing quality young men and athletes.

Eventually someone will take notice right?