Vikings defensive backs coach/defensive pass game coordinator Daronte Jones will coach at this year’s Senior Bowl, the organization announced on Wednesday. Jones will be the defensive coordinator for the National Team, which will be led by head coach Jeff Ulbrich (the DC for the Jets).
This is a very cool opportunity for Jones, a 45-year-old who is an important assistant coach under Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores in Minnesota. As the DC of one of the two teams in football’s most prestigious college all-star game, Jones will have a close and personal evaluation experience with a bunch of senior defensive prospects in this year’s draft class.
The Vikings will have numerous coaches and front office staff members in Mobile, AL for Senior Bowl week, but Jones will get the unique experience of being able to coach half of the defensive players who are participating. In doing so, he’ll be able to give detailed reports on those prospects to Flores, O’Connell, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and the rest of the Vikings’ front office and scouting staffs.
It’s also just a cool development opportunity for Jones as a coach. The Senior Bowl is elevating all of its coaches into roles greater than the ones they hold with their NFL teams for that reason.
Jones in his third season as the Vikings’ defensive backs coach. He held that role in 2020, then spent one season as LSU’s DC before returning to Minnesota and joining O’Connell’s staff in 2022. Prior to that, he coached with the Bengals and the Dolphins after beginning his career with roles at the NCAA, high school, and CFL levels.
