Bloomsburg Athletics

Eugene Jones IV finished his second season as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs/defensive pass game coach at Bloomsburg University in 2022. Jones also serves the recruiting coordinator for the Huskies.

During the 2022 season, Jones guided a pair of defensive backs to All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East honors as graduate student Chris Monaco earned his first career all-conference nod as a First Team defensive back. Quentin Gaskill earned his season-career accolade with a spot as a second-team d-back. The pair ranked in the top-25 nationally for passes defended as Gaskill was 13th with 1.4 passes defended (pass breakups and interceptions) per game, and Monaco was 25th with 1.3. Gaskill finished the year ranked third in the country in solo tackles, averaging 6.8 per game, and 25th in total tackles with 9.2. Monaco also earned the D2 Conference Commissioner’s Association (D2CCA) All-Super Region 1 honor.

Jones’ special team unit ranked 27th in the country with five blocked kicks, 28th with two blocked punts, and returned two blocked punts for a touchdown. Brendan McGonigle was ranked 14th in the country for his 80% field goal percentage, and Kevin Carrigan finished the year averaging 38.2 yards per punt.
 
Jones joined the Huskies’ football staff before the 2021 season and led a defensive unit that ranked first in the PSAC and 19^th nationally with 15 interceptions. His defensive backs accounted for six of the Huskies’ 12 fumble recoveries, led by Gaskill, who had a team-best three recoveries and three forced fumbles. Bloomsburg led the PSAC and was 11^th in the country in fumble recoveries.
 
The Huskies’ defense was one of the more prolific turnover defenses in the PSAC and Division II. Bloomsburg posted 28 takeaways, eighth in DII and first in the conference. Bloomsburg finished the year with 31 passes broken up and 46 passes defended.
 
Jones coached Gaskill to his first career all-conference nod as the defensive back was named to the All-PSAC East First Team safety in his first season in the position. Gaskill led the team and was third in the PSAC with 89 total tackles for the season and had 3.5 tackles for a loss of 10 yards. He had 1.0 sacks for four yards to his credit as well. Gaskill had one interception, broke up three passes, led the team with three fumble recoveries, and forced three fumbles on the year. He returned a blocked point-after attempt against Shepherd for 98 yards and two points for the Huskies.
 
The kickoff return team ranked 30^th in DII under Jones’ leadership with a 22.51 return average.
 
Before joining the staff at Bloomsburg, Jones served as the defensive coordinator at Kalamazoo College from April 2018 until July 2021. Jones elevated the Hornets’ defense which averaged 35.1 points per game and gave up 459.7 yards per game the season before his arrival, to a new standard of excellence with a scoring defense (22.5) and total defense (335.2) over the last two seasons. Jones helped the Hornets’ to their first shutout in 21 years against Oberlin on September 7, 2019, and posted a second shutout later in the season against Finlandia on October 12.
 
Under his guidance, 11 players earned All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) honors, including five first-teamers. Jones’ defensive unit had 56 sacks over his two seasons and finished in the top 30 in DIII in red zone defense at 60% on all scores. His secondary allowed 163.5 yards in the air per game over his two seasons. Jones helped lead one of the most significant turnarounds in all of college football from a 1-9 record in 2017 to a 7-3 record in 2018, with the best start to a season since 1962 and the second highest win total in school history.
 
Jones joined Kalamazoo’s staff after a five-year stint at fellow PSAC institution Mercyhurst University, from August 2013 to March 2018. He served as secondary coach and special teams for the Lakers. His secondary hauled in 57 interceptions throughout five seasons and set a school record with seven interceptions in one game. Six Mercyhurst defensive backs earned all-conference honors during his time with the program, including 2014 All-American Colin Kimball. He intercepted 13 passes over two seasons and set the school career mark with 15. Jones’ punt return unit blocked 11 punts and scored five touchdowns over the past four seasons. The 2016 unit finished second in the country with five blocked punts while scoring three touchdowns.
 
While serving at Mercyhurst, Jones also worked one season with the Cleveland Browns breaking down film and charting play information.
 
Before joining Mercyhurst, Jones worked a season (2012) as linebackers coach and video coordinator at Widener University, where he coached three all-conference players. In 2011 Jones was a defensive graduate assistant at Ithaca College, where he led the junior varsity team's secondary and specific punt units and defensive coordinator.
 
Jones is a 2010 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in psychology and African studies. Following graduation, he served a year as an academic graduate assistant for the Pitt football team while also breaking down film and producing scouting reports.
 
Updated 2/9/23