Cornell University Athletics

Recruiting Areas: Delaware, Maryland, Nebraska, New York (518 area code, Albany), North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C.

Greg Jones begins his fourth season as an assistant coach and second as the program's Director of Recruiting Operations and will continue his work with the defensive secondary.

Instrumental in the development of 2014 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Nick Gesualdi, Jones welcomes back all four returning starters from last season's opening day - as well as Gesualdi and late-blooming safety Sean Scullen. Fifth-year senior Rush Imhotep served as team captain a year ago. The ball-hawking group helped Cornell pace the Ivy League in takeaways (19) in 2014.

Jones’ background as a player in the Patriot League and a successful assistant coach and defensive coordinator at the Division III level has proved valuable to head coach David Archer and defensive coordinator Jared Backus.

Despite a number of injuries in his first season, Jones helped the defense transition from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 system. Two of the team’s top four tacklers came out of the defensive backfield and junior Michael Turner was named honorable mention All-Ivy after ranking among the league leaders with his three interceptions. All of the team’s starters were underclassmen with the exception of Brian Gee, the team’s second-leading tackler in 2013.

Jones, a two-time captain and first-team All-Patriot League pick as a senior linebacker at Bucknell, directed a defense that allowed just 18.0 points and 306.7 yards per game in 2012 at Division III Kenyon College. As defensive coordinator, Jones’ team ranked among the top quarter of all Division III teams in rushing defense, scoring defense, total defense and tackles for loss. Kenyon led the conference in red zone defense and ranked second in both scoring defense and yards allowed.

He previously had been defensive backs coach at Rhode Island and linebackers coach at Wilkes. He also has done extensive work with special teams.

As a player at Bucknell, Jones tallied 257 career tackles and was named first-team All-Patriot League as a senior in 2009 while earning the Bison Gridiron Club’s MVP award. He also was given the team’s Most Inspiration Player as a senior and was named the squad’s top linebacker in each of his final two seasons.

Jones graduated from Bucknell in 2010 with a major in history with an education minor and was awarded an undergraduate research grant from the university as a senior.

* Updated on August 18, 2015