Kansas University football coach David Beaty’s coaching staff continues to take shape, as three more names have joined the conversation.
A source told the Journal-World on Tuesday morning that Je’Ney Jackson, a former KU defensive backs coach under Mark Mangino and who currently is the strength coach for the Indiana basketball program, will join Beaty’s staff as the strength and conditioning director.
Later in the day Tuesday, Indiana University basketball coach Tom Crean confirmed the news in a press release.
“When you have talented people there is never a good time to see a staff member go,” Crean said. “But Je’Ney has a wonderful opportunity in front of him to become a head strength coach for a BCS football program. He will work with two of his best friends, in David Beaty and Clint Bowen, and will continue his growth as one of the elite strength coaches on the collegiate level.”
Crean, who hired Jackson away from the Southern Miss football program in 2010, spoke highly of Jackson’s commitment to IU basketball.
“Je’Ney had a tremendous impact in helping us achieve the successes we have had since his arrival,” Crean said. “He has had true ownership of our program.”
While at KU for years the first time around (2005-09), Jackson worked closely with former KU strength and conditioning director Chris Dawson.
At any school facing a transition, the strength and conditioning hire is widely regarded as one of the most important decisions a coach can make, and Jackson has a strong reputation in his field and is well respected both in the Big 12 and around the country. Jackson, like several of the other known members of Beaty’s staff, has a strong relationship with the new KU coach and also should benefit from having been at KU before.
“That guy’s gonna be with ’em more than any of us,” Beaty said in early December when talking generally about his upcoming strength and conditioning hire. “He’s gonna live with ’em. That guy’s extremely important. The fact that I’ve gotta be able to know that guy, trust that guy, that he’s gonna be able to get out of those guys what we’re looking for, so that when he turns ’em back over to us, he’s got ’em prepared to take that next step on the football field.”
At the time, Beaty likely had an idea that Jackson would be a guy he would go after for the position. Either way, he definitely knew the foundation upon which he wanted his strength and conditioning program to be built.
“One of the most important hires that I’ll make here is the leader of our strength and conditioning program,” Beaty said. “That program is going to be based on three very simple things: Hard work, discipline, and accountability. Every day, every way.
“That stuff starts down there,” he added. “That’s why I met with ’em in the weight room. Because it all starts in there.”
Former KU linebacker Justin Springer, who has been on KU’s staff during the past few seasons, is expected to be retained as a part of Jackson’s staff, the source said.
In addition to the strength and conditioning move, the source said that former Tulsa defensive line coach Calvin Thibodeaux is also expected to join the staff. Thibodeaux’s name surfaced a couple of weeks ago, but only recently became firm.
Although none of the new hires have been made official, these three additions would bring the number of bodies on Beaty’s staff up to nine, with Clint Bowen, Reggie Mitchell and Louie Matsakis staying on from the old regime and Kevin Kane, Gene Wier, Klint Kubiak and today’s trio joining them.
