Shaw University

Adrian Jones enters his seventh season as Shaw Head Coach, making him one of the deans of CIAA football coaches.

After taking over a program that was 1-9 in 2015, Jones feels the foundation has been laid to make the program a championship contender. In the last four football seasons, Jones led the Bears to an 18-10 conference record. The season was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.

Shaw has dominated the crosstown series against Saint Augustine's under his direction. The Jones-led Bears have hoisted the trophy four times in six games since the annual game was dubbed the "Raleigh Classic" in 2016.

Returning a veteran cast of players, the Bears anticipate a breakout year under Jones in 2023. In 2022, they finished 4-6 overall including a 4-4 mark in the CIAA, a step back from the 2021 season when the Bears were 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the CIAA.

Despite the 4-6 mark, five Shaw players were named to the All-CIAA team (including first-team selections Tyreese Bobbitt/OL, Jaleel Scroggins/DB and Jay Boyd/DB) and one player was selected to the All-CIAA Rookie team under Jones. It nearly matched Shaw’s all-conference honors in 2021 when five Bears earned All-CIAA honors and four Bears were tabbed to the All-CIAA Rookie Team.

In 2019, the Bears posted a 6-4 mark including a 5-2 CIAA record. Seven players were selected to the all-conference team and two made the all-conference rookie squad under Jones. That same year, tight end Kevonta Jones, offensive lineman Keanu Gonzales and running back Sydney Gibbs were placed on the Don Hansen All-Super Region 2 team.

In 2018, Shaw finished 5-5 overall (marking the best finish since 2013 at the time) and a 4-2 mark in the CIAA. Jones had eight players garner All-CIAA recognition, highlighted by linebacker Devon Hunt who was named CIAA Defensive Player of the Year.

Tight end Kevonta Moses and offensive lineman Keanu Gonzales joined Hunt on the All-CIAA First Team while wide receivers Marquis Gorham, Daniel Bender and defensive back Jaleel Scroggins tabbed honorable mention honors. The 2018 season also featured two Bears on the CIAA All-Rookie Team (defensive lineman Mark Shannon and offensive lineman Tyrese Bobbitt).

Jones guided the Bears to a 3-7 finish in 2017, going 2-5 against conference opponents. That year featured six players on the All-CIAA team, including two players that were selected First-Team All-CIAA in Devon Hunt and Jaleel Scroggins. Three were chosen to the CIAA All-Rookie Team in Scroggins, Kevin Sherman and Daniel Bender. Keith Alston made Second Team All-CIAA while Uriah Bethea, Sherman and Justus Sapp received honorable mention recognition.

During his first season, Jones had five players named to the All-CIAA Team, including two Bears who were named to the 2016 All-Rookie Team. Hunt was named the 2016 CIAA Defensive Rookie of the Year while defensive lineman Dominique Hannibal earned first team honors. Linebackers Keelan Jones and Hunt received second team accolades while Bruce Parker, Jr. was selected Second Team All-CIAA in punt returns. Venson Jones, Jr. was an honorable mention selection.

Jones comes to Shaw from North Carolina Central University where he was the running backs coach and camp coordinator for the Eagles. During his two stints at NCCU, Jones coached running backs, defensive backs, and outside linebackers. As an assistant coach at NCCU, Jones helped the Eagles garner two CIAA championships (2005 and 2006), two MEAC championships (2014 and 2015) and a Black College National Championship (2006).

Prior to NCCU, Jones led his high school alma mater, Southern High School in Durham, N.C., to the 2013 NCHSAA 3-AA State Championship title. In his seventh season as head coach at Southern High, Jones led the Spartans to the state title following the team’s seventh straight playoff appearance under his supervision. With a Big 8 Conference championship included in the team’s historic run, Jones was selected the 2013 Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year. He was also the PAC-6 Coach of the Year three times after guiding the Spartans to three consecutive PAC-6 championships from 2007 to 2009.

As a student-athlete at NCCU, Jones earned First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region honors twice and remains among the school’s career leaders in passes defended (41) and interceptions (10). 

In 1996, Jones earned First-Team All-CIAA and Second Team All-South Region honors as a junior when he collected eight interceptions, placing him second on NCCU’s single-season records list. He was voted NCAA Division II Player of the Week after tying a school record with three interceptions in a game against Elizabeth City State University. That year, the Eagles boasted the No. 1 pass defense in the nation.

Jones was again selected First-Team All-CIAA and Second Team All-South Region in 1997 after leading the conference with an 11.0-yard punt return average and a 29.5-yard kickoff return average. Jones broke a 52-year-old school record when he returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown against Fayetteville State University, the longest punt return in school history at the time. He graduated from N.C. Central with a bachelor’s degree in recreational therapy in 2001.

After NCCU, Jones went on to play arena football with the Carolina Cobras in 2001 and 2003, the Augusta Stallions in 2002, and the Greensboro Prowlers in 2000.  He also served as defensive coordinator with the South Georgia Wildcats of the AFL2, leading his squad to the No. 1-ranked red-zone defense in the league.

Jones is married to Dr. Kamala Uzzell Jones, and has a daughter, Jayla.