University of North Texas Athletics
Jennings Joins UNT As Cornerbacks Coach
2/6/2019 12:15:00 PM | Football
DENTON - Former Mean Green defensive lineman Clay Jennings has been named North Texas' cornerbacks coach, head football coach Seth Littrell announced Wednesday. Jennings has a wealth of experience in that role and spent the 2018 season as the defensive backs coach at Texas Tech.
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"We could not pass up the opportunity to add such an accomplished coach like coach Jennings," Littrell said. "He has a lot of experience coaching in the state of Texas and will bring a great energy to our staff and student-athletes. His past success in player development speaks for itself and we are very happy to have him here in Denton to help take our corners to another level."
The Mean Green were one of the top teams in the country in interceptions, posting 18, which ranked fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The North Texas defense is also coming off a year that saw marked improvement across the board, including a decrease of 10.8 points per game allowed compared to 2017.
One of the top secondary coaches in the country, Jennings arrived in Denton after spending the 2018 season on staff as the defensive backs coach at Texas Tech. Prior to his arrival in Lubbock, he spent the 2017 season as the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at the University of Houston. He also has previous stops in the Big 12 Conference with Baylor, TCU and Texas.
Jennings, a native of Waco, Texas, has coached defensive backs throughout his 22 years in coaching, the majority of which has been spent in the state of Texas. In addition to his time at Texas Tech, Jennings had two stops at Houston (2005-06, 2017), and has been part of staffs at Texas (2016), TCU (2008-13), Baylor (2007) and Sam Houston State (2001-02).
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While in Lubbock in 2018, Red Raiders' defensive backs intercepted 11 of the team's 12 passes (ranked 40th nationally). Redshirt freshman defensive back Adrian Frye led the team with five, and was named first team All-Big 12 by the conference and first team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press after recording 18 passes defended (13 pass break-ups and five interceptions). Vaughnte Dorsey, DaMarcus Fields and Jah'Shawn Johnson were also each named All-Big 12 honorable mentions by the conference under Jennings' tutelage.
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In 2017 at Houston, the Cougars ranked among the top defenses in the country in regards to scoring and interceptions. Houston ended the year with 15 interceptions – 14 by the secondary alone – to rank 23rd nationally in the category, while also finishing second in the American Athletic Conference with only 23.8 points allowed per game.
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Jennings, who was also on the Cougars' staff during the 2005-06 seasons, returned to Houston after spending the 2016 campaign at the University of Texas and then the two years prior to that at the University of Arkansas (2014-15).
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Prior to his time at Arkansas, Jennings spent six seasons as the cornerbacks coach at TCU, a stretch that coincided with the Horned Frogs' perfect 13-0 record and Rose Bowl victory in 2010 and eventual entry into the Big 12 Conference. TCU advanced to a bowl game in five of his six seasons in Fort Worth as the Horned Frogs regularly boasted one of the nation's top defenses.
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Jennings has tutored numerous NFL draft picks and free-agent selections during his career, including Tevin Mitchel (Arkansas), Alan Turner (Arkansas), Jason Verrett (TCU), Kevin White (TCU), Greg McCoy (TCU), Malcolm Williams (TCU), Rafael Priest (TCU), C.C. Brown (Louisiana-Lafayette), Michael Adams (Louisiana-Lafayette), Antwain Spann (Louisiana-Lafayette), Keith Davis (Sam Houston State) and Jordan Babineaux (Southern Arkansas).
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Jennings' other NFL pupils came early in his career at both Louisiana-Lafayette (2003-04) and Sam Houston State (2001-02). The Ragin' Cajuns ranked 11th nationally in passing defense during his final season after surrendering just 174.5 passing yards per game. Both Brown and Adams enjoyed seven-year NFL careers following their time in Lafayette, while Spann played three seasons for the New England Patriots.
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Jennings was the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Sam Houston State where he mentored an All-America selection and Buck Buchanan Award finalist in Davis. Sam Houston State claimed a share of the 2001 Southland Conference title in Jennings' first season and also advanced to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs that season.
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Before Sam Houston State, Jennings coached the secondary at Southern Arkansas (2000), Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa (1999), and Morehouse College in Atlanta (1998). He began his coaching career as a student assistant (1996) and then graduate assistant (1997) at North Texas shortly after ending his playing career for the Mean Green.
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Jennings was a four-year letterwinner during his playing career at North Texas (1992-95) where he was part of the Mean Green's Southland Conference championship team in 1994. Jennings finished his career at North Texas with 63 total tackles and 10.5 sacks.
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"We could not pass up the opportunity to add such an accomplished coach like coach Jennings," Littrell said. "He has a lot of experience coaching in the state of Texas and will bring a great energy to our staff and student-athletes. His past success in player development speaks for itself and we are very happy to have him here in Denton to help take our corners to another level."
The Mean Green were one of the top teams in the country in interceptions, posting 18, which ranked fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The North Texas defense is also coming off a year that saw marked improvement across the board, including a decrease of 10.8 points per game allowed compared to 2017.
One of the top secondary coaches in the country, Jennings arrived in Denton after spending the 2018 season on staff as the defensive backs coach at Texas Tech. Prior to his arrival in Lubbock, he spent the 2017 season as the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at the University of Houston. He also has previous stops in the Big 12 Conference with Baylor, TCU and Texas.
Jennings, a native of Waco, Texas, has coached defensive backs throughout his 22 years in coaching, the majority of which has been spent in the state of Texas. In addition to his time at Texas Tech, Jennings had two stops at Houston (2005-06, 2017), and has been part of staffs at Texas (2016), TCU (2008-13), Baylor (2007) and Sam Houston State (2001-02).
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While in Lubbock in 2018, Red Raiders' defensive backs intercepted 11 of the team's 12 passes (ranked 40th nationally). Redshirt freshman defensive back Adrian Frye led the team with five, and was named first team All-Big 12 by the conference and first team All-Big 12 by the Associated Press after recording 18 passes defended (13 pass break-ups and five interceptions). Vaughnte Dorsey, DaMarcus Fields and Jah'Shawn Johnson were also each named All-Big 12 honorable mentions by the conference under Jennings' tutelage.
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In 2017 at Houston, the Cougars ranked among the top defenses in the country in regards to scoring and interceptions. Houston ended the year with 15 interceptions – 14 by the secondary alone – to rank 23rd nationally in the category, while also finishing second in the American Athletic Conference with only 23.8 points allowed per game.
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Jennings, who was also on the Cougars' staff during the 2005-06 seasons, returned to Houston after spending the 2016 campaign at the University of Texas and then the two years prior to that at the University of Arkansas (2014-15).
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Prior to his time at Arkansas, Jennings spent six seasons as the cornerbacks coach at TCU, a stretch that coincided with the Horned Frogs' perfect 13-0 record and Rose Bowl victory in 2010 and eventual entry into the Big 12 Conference. TCU advanced to a bowl game in five of his six seasons in Fort Worth as the Horned Frogs regularly boasted one of the nation's top defenses.
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Jennings has tutored numerous NFL draft picks and free-agent selections during his career, including Tevin Mitchel (Arkansas), Alan Turner (Arkansas), Jason Verrett (TCU), Kevin White (TCU), Greg McCoy (TCU), Malcolm Williams (TCU), Rafael Priest (TCU), C.C. Brown (Louisiana-Lafayette), Michael Adams (Louisiana-Lafayette), Antwain Spann (Louisiana-Lafayette), Keith Davis (Sam Houston State) and Jordan Babineaux (Southern Arkansas).
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Jennings' other NFL pupils came early in his career at both Louisiana-Lafayette (2003-04) and Sam Houston State (2001-02). The Ragin' Cajuns ranked 11th nationally in passing defense during his final season after surrendering just 174.5 passing yards per game. Both Brown and Adams enjoyed seven-year NFL careers following their time in Lafayette, while Spann played three seasons for the New England Patriots.
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Jennings was the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Sam Houston State where he mentored an All-America selection and Buck Buchanan Award finalist in Davis. Sam Houston State claimed a share of the 2001 Southland Conference title in Jennings' first season and also advanced to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs that season.
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Before Sam Houston State, Jennings coached the secondary at Southern Arkansas (2000), Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa (1999), and Morehouse College in Atlanta (1998). He began his coaching career as a student assistant (1996) and then graduate assistant (1997) at North Texas shortly after ending his playing career for the Mean Green.
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Jennings was a four-year letterwinner during his playing career at North Texas (1992-95) where he was part of the Mean Green's Southland Conference championship team in 1994. Jennings finished his career at North Texas with 63 total tackles and 10.5 sacks.
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