June Jones poaching coaches from Ticats for XFL staff

Screenshot courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

June Jones was at the Grey Cup supporting the Ticats, but it seems he was there on business as well.

Via an #XFL source, hearing that #TiCats OL coach Dennis McKnight has accepted an offer to join June Jones’ staff in Houston. ST coordinator Jeff Reinebold has also been offered. Jones has a long history with both men & was in Calgary for #GreyCup. @CFLonTSN

— Farhan Lalji (@FarhanLaljiTSN) November 27, 2019

3:00

↑ what lands at 3 p.m. daily

3DownNation Daily

Get game analysis, stats, and more daily at 3pm

Here’s exactly what you’ll get.

One email. Every weekday at 3 p.m. Your daily CFL briefing.

• ✓ Canadian football's biggest stories
• ✓ Smart game analysis
• ✓ Every CFL transaction covered with exclusive insight

Email Address

Subscribe →

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. By signing up you agree to receive daily emails from 3DownNation, as well as our terms of service and privacy policy. 1900 Rose St, Regina SK S4P 0A9.

Jones stepped aside last December to take the Houston Roughnecks head coach job in the XFL. It allowed Orlondo Steinauer to become the bench boss in Hamilton. He moved Dennis McKnight to offensive lineman duties prior to the 2018 season and Jones has worked with Jeff Reinebold in the past.

Jones took over an 0-8 team in 2017 and led them to six wins in their final 10 games, then guided the team to an 8-10 record in 2018. The Tiger-Cats finished second in the East and reached the division final before losing to Ottawa. His most famous move was making Brandon Banks a full-time receiver. In 2019 Banks led the league in catches, yards and touchdowns on the way to winning the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award.

The 66-year-old Jones has 13 seasons of NFL coaching experience and 16 years at the NCAA level including seven years as head coach at Southern Methodist University. He served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1994-1996 and was the interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998.

All of those coaching stops south of the border took place prior to Jones accepting his first CFL job. Jones has publicly backed the Ticats ever since leaving for Houston, but now he’s taking coaches from the staff for his own good.