Miles adds to KU coaching staff – News – The Ottawa Herald

Kansas head football coach Les Miles is rounding out his coaching staff for the 2020 season with two recent hirings.

Miles promoted Emmett Jones to passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach. His contract been extended through February 2022.

Jordan Peterson has been added to the staff as the safeties coach.

Miles said Jones has been an intregal part of his staff in his first year at KU.

Emmett has played a vital role in the development of our wide receivers and we look forward to their continued growth this season, Miles said. This promotion was well deserved and will be beneficial to our overall offensive scheme.

In his first season with the Jayhawks in 2019, the wide receiving unit saw significant growth under Jones, bringing in 235 receptions for 2,778 yards and 25 touchdowns. Jones influence helped the Kansas offense to its best season since 2009, averaging 377.3 yards per game.

Jones coached juniors Andrew Parchment and Stephon Robinson Jr. to breakout seasons, as the duo ranked in the top-20 in Kansas single-season receiving yards. The duos combined 1,558 receiving yards were the most since 2016, while Robinson Jr.s eight receiving touchdowns are tied for the fourth most in KU single-season history, and the most since 2009. Parchment and Robinson were also the first pair of KU wide receivers to combine for 15 touchdowns in a season since 2009.

Peterson comes to Kansas with 10 years experience and has coached in five bowl games.

He is an excellent teacher and has strong recruiting ties in Texas, an area that is vital to us, Miles said. A rising star in the coaching profession and a true family man, Jordan is a great fit for what we are looking for in our program.

Peterson served as the defensive coordinator/safeties coach at New Mexico in 2019, where he oversaw the entire defense and held all duties associated with mentoring the Lobos safeties. Peterson was hired to coach the New Mexico safeties in 2017, before being promoted to defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2019.

In his first two seasons at New Mexico, Peterson guided the safeties unit to lead the team in tackles, with Jake Rothschiller and Stanley Barnwell Jr. recording 76 tackles in 2018.

Before his time at New Mexico, Peterson coached at Fresno State for five seasons, from 2012-16, helping the Bulldogs to three consecutive bowl games and a 2014 Mountain West Championship game appearance and a 2013 Mountain West title. He served a variety of positions with Fresno State, coaching both the secondary and outside linebackers. He also has served as recruiting coordinator and a special teams coach.

Peterson was secondary coach at Fresno State during the 2012 when Fresno State went 9-4 and was ranked second nationally in pass defense and fourth in pass efficiency defense. He also mentored safety Phillip Thomas to Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2012.

Peterson got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant coach at Texas A&M in 2010 and 2011. That followed a four-year playing career with the Aggies, where he made 81 tackles and broke up 15 passes. He also forced two fumbles, recovered one fumble and picked off four passes. He returned one of those passes 48 yards for a touchdown against New Mexico. He was a two-time All-Big 12 Academic First Team selection, and he was a CoSIDA Academic All-Region selection in 2008.

Peterson received his bachelors degree in sport management from Texas A&M in 2009 along with his masters in education curriculum and instruction in 2010. He graduated from Lexington High School in Central Texas, where he earned first-team all-state honors as a defensive back and honorable mention honors as a quarterback his senior year. He was named Texas Prep Xtra Central Texas MVP.