Great news: TCU has hired former Arkansas RB coach Jimmy Smith to replace Anthony Jones Jr

TCU has hired former Arkansas RB coach Jimmy Smith to replace Anthony Jones Jr

Jimmy Smith, the former coach of the Arkansas running backs, is being hired by the TCU Horned Frogs for the same role, according to many stories from earlier today. Smith will take over for Anthony Jones Jr., who just quit his position at Fort Worth to become Lincoln Riley’s running backs coach at USC. Smith worked with current TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles during his four seasons at Arkansas. Smith has also held the position of Georgia State’s running backs coach in the past.

In 2022, the Arkansas running attack was extremely effective with Briles and Smith collaborating. They ran for 3,077 yards and averaged 236.7 yards per game, which helped them rank eighth in the country. The Razorbacks’ eighth-highest season total for an Arkansas offensive saw them surpass the 3,000-yard threshold for only the tenth time in school history.

With 227.8 rushing yards per game, Arkansas dominated the Power 5 and finished second nationally in 2021 thanks to the outstanding play of Smith’s running backs. With 113 rushes of ten or more yards, the Razorbacks’ running game was the most prolific among all P5 teams. Against a conference-only schedule in 2020, Smith’s first season in Fayetteville, led a rushing offense that averaged 151.3 yards per game.

Emani Bailey, the starting running back who hopes to be selected later this year in the 2024 NFL Draft, will not be present for Smith’s running back group. A number of the Horned Frogs’ running backs from the 2023 squad are back. Among these players are Cameron Cook, a former four-star prospect, and Trey Sanders, a former transfer from Alabama. Two 2024 running backs, Nate Palmer and four-star recruit Jeremy Evans, were signed by TCU.