Tennessee Football held introductory press conferences for its new defensive coaching staff pieces on Thursday afternoon, including co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, LEOs coach AJ Jackson, and cornerbacks coach Derek Jones. All three have been hired to help turn the tide for the Vols’ defense and will work directly under newly-appointed defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
All three coaches have quality histories working under Knowles. Poindexter and Jackson both spent time with him at Penn State during the 2025 season, while Jones spent several years working with Knowles while the two were at Duke. Knowles clearly chose coaches that he trusted and was familiar with when putting together his first defensive staff in Knoxville.
All three men spoke to the media for the first time at Tennessee on Thursday. They spoke about their respective position groups and first impressions, their goals for the defense, and their journeys in getting to Knoxville.
More From RTI: Tennessee DC Jim Knowles Talks Vols’ Defense In Introductory Press Conference
Check out all three interviews below:
Tennessee Co-DC/Safeties Coach Anthony Poindexter
Tennessee CB Coach Derek Jones
Tennessee LEOs Coach AJ Jackson
