Morris adds Jordan Malone to Coaching Staff

UNTLifer · 2025-03-04T05:06:56Z

Mean Green Football Adds Jordan Malone as Nickels/OLB Coach

3/3/2025 2:54:00 PM | Football

Malone joins UNT staff after spending 2024 season at Washington State

DENTON, Texas – UNT football head coach Eric Morris has announced the addition of Jordan Malone to the coaching staff. Malone will serve as the Nickels/Outside Linebackers coach for the Mean Green.

Malone joins the Mean Green staff after a brief stint as an assistant coach at Wake Forest, initially following head coach Jake Dickert from Washington State to Wake Forest after spending five seasons working for Dickert with the Cougars.

In 2024, Malone served as the Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Safeties/Nickels coach at WSU, helping the Cougars post an 8-5 overall record and earn a trip to the Holiday Bowl. WSU finished the 2024 season 27th in FBS in both interceptions and turnovers forced.

Malone was elevated to Defensive Passing Game Coordinator after spending the 2021-23 seasons as the safeties and nickels coach and serving as a defensive analyst in 2020. He helped the Cougars earn three bowl berths in his five seasons on staff.

In 2023, Malone helped oversee a WSU defense that led the country with five defensive touchdowns. His safeties/nickels group that accounted for two of the top three tacklers on the team, including Jaden Hicks who became as fourth-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

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The 2022 season saw the Cougar defense rank third in the Pac-12 Conference in scoring defense and second in red zone defense. The 2022 campaign saw Hicks earn Third Team Freshman All-American honors and senior DB Armani Marsh pick up Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 honors.

After beginning 2021 as a defensive analyst, Malone was elevated to cornerbacks coach in October. After being thrust into the role mid-season, the WSU pass defense showed dramatic improvement, allowing 193.7 yards per game over the finale six contest compared to 236.6 YPG in the first seven games. The Cougars also picked off eight passes in the final six games of the season.

Malone mentored senior Jaylen Watson, who garnered 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors for the second-straight season and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, winning a Super Bowl title as a rookie.

Prior to WSU, Malone worked three seasons as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Augustana University (S.D.) where he produced one of the top Division II defenses in the country in 2019; fourth in scoring defense, fifth in takeaways, eighth in the third-down defense, No. 12 in rush defense and No. 19 in total defense. In his three seasons leading the Augustana defense, Malone produced one All-American, one All-Region selection and 16 all-conference honorees.

Prior to Augustana, Malone worked the 2015 and 2016 seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Minnesota State University where he coached the defensive backs, the punt and punt return teams and served as the recruiting coordinator. The 2015 defense finished among the top Division II defenses in the country including total defense, rushing defense, scoring defense and fourth-down defense while the punt team led all of Division II in net punting. In 2015, Malone helped three players earn All-NSIC honorees.

In 2014, Malone served as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator for Augustana (S.D.). The Augie defensive backs tallied eight interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

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Prior to joining the Vikings' coaching staff, Malone spent the 2013 season with Augustana (Ill.) where he was responsible for the defensive backs and the strength and conditioning program. Malone boasted an all-conference player as the defense notched 24 turnovers.

Malone spent the 2010 season as the defensive coordinator and co-special teams coordinator at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Prior to his stint north of the border, he coached the outside linebackers and nickel backs at Central Arkansas in the 2008 and 2009 seasons where he guided three all-conference players. Malone also served as a graduate assistant working with the defensive backs at Emporia State University (Kan.) and Wayne State College (Neb.).

Malone earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from MSU in 2006, before completing his master's degree in health, physical education and recreation at Emporia State in 2007.

As a player, Malone played in 44 games through four seasons with the Purple and Gold and received All-NCC First Team and All-American honors in 2004. For his career, he tallied 216 tackles, seven interceptions, three fumble recoveries and ranked eighth all-time in solo tackles 141.