Jason Phillips Joins SMU Coaching Staff

[Webmaster]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Former Houston Offensive Coordinator Comes To The Hilltop

Jan. 11, 2012

DALLAS (SMU) - Jason Phillips will join the SMU football coaching staff as an assistant coach, Head Coach June Jones announced today. Phillips just completed his ninth season at Houston, where he served as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Phillips had also served as UH's recruiting coordinator.

"We drafted Jason when I was with the Detroit Lions in 1989, and then I brought him to the Atlanta Falcons with me in 1992. He was a very competitive player and had great work ethic on and off the field," said Jones. "His receivers and the offenses that he has been a part of in his coaching career have been some of the best in the country and I'm excited to have him join our staff. He knows our offense from having played in it and I look forward to his input into what we do, along with what he brings to us from the offenses that he has been associated with in his coaching career. He has recruited Texas for close to 10 years, so he will have an impact there as well."

Phillips just capped a successful 2011 season by helping UH to a dominating 30-14 win over Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl, with his offense finishing with 600 yards of total offense. It was the eighth time in 2011 that the Cougars reached that total. In all, the 2011 Cougar offense was one of the most prolific in NCAA history, averaging nearly 600 yards per game in total offense, ranking second all-time just behind another the 1989 Houston Cougars, who averaged 625 yards.

A huge reason for that production was the play of Houston's wide receivers, which was the country's most productive group. Houston had a number of record-setters on this year's team, including Patrick Edwards, who led the country with 20 touchdown catches. Edwards also ranked second nationally with 1,752 receiving yards and is the school and Conference USA all-time leader with 4,501 career receiving yards. In 2011, Tyron Carrier also ranked in the top 20 nationally in receptions per game and senior Justin Johnson ranked 16th in the nation with a 1,229-yard season.

During his tenure at UH, Phillips worked with stellar wide receivers like Carrier, Edwards, Johnson, and Donnie Avery, the first wide receiver taken in the 2008 NFL Draft. In just the past four seasons at UH, Phillips produced seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons from four different players. Phillips also directed an offense led by quarterback Case Keenum, whom Phillips helped to numerous NCAA records.
Phillips was a consensus All-America wide receiver during his playing days at Houston. As a coach, Phillips has shown that he has the ability to communicate his ideas and pass on the benefit of his experiences to young players.

Phillips was selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Coaches Academy Program and the 2010 NCAA Champions Forum, both of which were designed to identify and nurture minority future head coaching candidates.

A native Houstonian who played at Ross Sterling High School, Phillips first made his mark at the University of Houston by hauling in passes from Heisman Trophy quarterback Andre Ware during the Cougars high-flying, high-scoring Run `N Shoot heyday. Phillips led the nation in receiving yards in 1987 (875 yards) and 1988 (1,444), the first player since Tulsa's Howard Twilley accomplished that feat 23 years earlier.

In 1987, Phillips not only was an All-Southwest Conference pick and the SWC Newcomer of the Year, but was also selected to the UPI All-America team. The following year Phillips was named to the All-SWC First Team, was the SWC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-America pick.

Phillips was also selected to the SWC's All-Decade Team for the 80s and, in 2006, Phillips' spectacular contributions to the program were recognized when he was inducted into the Houston Hall of Honor.

Phillips was drafted by Detroit in 1989, where he set a rookie record with a 10-catch, 155-yard performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Phillips enjoyed an eight-year professional career, playing six seasons in the NFL and two in the CFL before moving into the coaching ranks.

In 2001, he coached as an offensive intern for the Minnesota Vikings, working under head coach Dennis Green and offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis. In that capacity, Phillips worked closely with wide receivers Randy Moss, Chris Carter, Jake Reed and Chris Walsh. The following season, Phillips served in a similar capacity with the Atlanta Falcons, where he worked under head coach Dan Reeves.

Phillips began his college coaching career in 2001, when he served as an offensive assistant at Houston. He spent the following season coaching wide receivers at Texas State before returning to the Cougars as wide receivers coach in 2003. He spent the 2007 at Baylor, serving as the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach. He returned to his alma mater in 2008 as Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach and Recruiting Coordinator before being promoted to Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach in 2010.

Phillips, who is married to Kimberly, writes about coaching and has published articles in American Football Monthly Magazine. Phillips earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from UH in 2001.

[kull]

nice

[The PonyGrad]

Things are moving in the right direction. Great week for SMU FB.

[Charleston Pony]

pretty good replacement I would say

[jpe747]

Great choice to the coaching staff! Welcome aboard Coach Phillips!

[smuuth]

Assistant coach of what position? Receivers?

[well travelled pony]

I am glad that June made this hire. Let's get it on!!

Go Ponies!

[skyscraper]

Very good news.
Welcome to SMU!

[SMU 86]

Not the end all in our recruiting situation but one really good move. Welcome Coach Phillips.

[ojaipony]

If you look at the track record, this is a HUGE upgrade in pure coaching skills. We shall see on the recruiting end.

ANY top HS receiver in the country would be pretty foolish to not at least give SMU a look now ... the track record speaks for itself ... want to go early in the NFL draft, catch thousands of yards/have dozens of touchdowns, get a top quality education at an AQ school on the rise in one of the best cities in the country?