UB Athletics was kind enough to make the coaching staff available for an interview with Bull Run. I set each coach five to ten questions and took questions from readers.
Coach Ernest Jones's UB Athletics Profile describes him as follows:
Ernest Jones, UB's Associate Head Coach, will handle the secondary and serve as recruiting coordinator for the Bulls, while also overseeing the "Bulls in the Community" program. He was the director of player services and running backs coach at Cincinnati in 2009 after spending the 2008 season at Alcorn State. Jones was the running backs coach at Cincinnati in 2007 as well as two seasons at Central Michigan. He helped develop a Central Michigan rushing attack that averaged 127.9 yards per game. Jones also had coaching stints at Concordia, Kentucky State and Oberlin. He is a 1995 graduate of Alcorn State and earned a master's degree from Concordia in 2002.
Jones is an active member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He enjoys reading, basketball and working out. The proudest moment of his professional life is being able to impact the lives of others. He says that UB offers "the opportunity to get a great degree and play athletics while coaching players who love football."
Bull Run: I have asked several of the other coaches about the adjustments that have to be made to recruiting on their unit's, as the teams recruiting coordinator hat have the biggest challenges been so far in finalizing this years recruiting class?
Coach Jones: The biggest challenges have been trying to secure the commitments that the previous staff had secured. We have to sell to them who we are as well as getting them to buy in to our vision. We are here to graduate our players and to compete for Conference Championships.
Bull Run: What is the biggest difference you are seeing between promoting UB to a recruit versus an automatically qualifying school like Cincinnati?
Coach Jones: The difference is one school is as BCS school with the Champion getting to a BCS Bowl game and the other is a Mid Major whose champion makes it to the Motor City Bowl. The thing that helps us is that we promote Championships and we have won Championships, therefore it should not matter as long as you want to compete and win Championships this is the place to be.
Bull Run: The last time you specifically coached defensive backs was in 2005 when you were on Kelly's staff at central Michigan what do you feel your experiences at CMU, Alcorn, and Cincinnati have added to your ability to work with UB's defensive backs?
Coach Jones: I believe my career track has made me more well rounded. I have been fortunate to see things from the defensive prospective, the offensive prospective, the head coach prospective, and an administrative prospective. These things have given me great insight as I coach the cornerbacks here at UB.
Bull Run: Given that your role is not just a coach but also the recruiting coordinator and that your previous job with the Bearcats (Director of Player Services) also had deep, non coaching, ties to the Athletic department and the university at large what are your impressions of the leadership at UB.
Coach Jones: I think the Administration here at UB is 1st class and second to none. The grow of the Athletic department along with the vision is unbelievable. There is so much support here at UB and the infrastructure here is unlimited. I love this place.
Bull Run: So how do you sell a mid major non AQ school to recruits? What are the natural advantages that UB has and what are the obstacles to overcome?
Coach Jones: We sell our University, Our head coach, our staff, the pedigree of the success we have had and two things--- Do you want a degree and do you want to win championships.