Undefeated first-year coach Jarvis Jones ‘grateful’ for return to alma mater

COLUMBUS — Jarvis Jones called out the sideline referee after an offsides penalty on Carver-Columbus.

He wasn’t mad about the call. He wanted his team to be penalized more.

Carver, the top-ranked team in Class 2A, was dominating Jordan in an eventual 75-0 win. The Tigers already had forced a three-and-out on their first defensive possession and took a 7-0 lead three plays later.

The offside call moved Jordan’s offense from second-and-13 to second-and-8. That was when Jones asked the referee to call offside on his defense every time the Jordan offense committed a false start.

A Jordan offensive lineman flinched on the next play, and the side judge threw the flag: False start, offense.

Again, Jones asked the referee to penalize Carver instead. He turned around and told his team that he asked the referee to do so.

“Even in games like this right here, man, we’ve got to use this game to get better,” Jones said of his unusual tactic.

The 9-0 Tigers are chasing back-to-back state championships, and Jones said his aim is to build perseverance needed to beat tougher teams in the playoffs.

Former Georgia coach Mark Richt said Jones dominated and handled the fanfare without losing that laid-back demeanor.

“He wasn’t a big talker. He was a big doer,” Richt said. “I think he definitely earned the respect of his teammates with his ability to play the game and how he went about it, but I don’t remember him being a big talker at all. It was more about business for him.”

Like Jones, Richt isn’t known for his fiery personality on game day. Perhaps it’s part of the reason Jones moved back across the country to play the rest of his college career for Richt.

“As a player, I wasn’t with the rah-rah stuff, so I accept it more when you can coach me here and give me the info,” Jones said. “But that’s just my style of coaching. I think the guys can accept it, and I’m not rattling them.”

Jones’ former defensive coordinator at Georgia, Todd Grantham, wasn’t surprised to find that the Tigers were undefeated under Jones.

“Coaching is all about relationships, and Jarvis is going to be real. Jarvis is going to be himself,” Grantham said. “And I think because that’s the way Jarvis is, he can connect with young people.

“I think that those people buy into him and his message, and they have a belief in him, which anytime you get players to believe in what you’re doing and they have a belief in you, that becomes a powerful thing.”

Richt and Grantham weren’t the only well-known coaches to influence Jones’ leadership style. Before Jones got to college, he played for now-Georgia State coach Dell McGee when he was leading Carver to championships.

McGee said he had to convince Jones to play football, as Jones was more focused on basketball in high school. McGee told Jones, who played center for Carver basketball, he wouldn’t have had as many options to play the position in college at his height of 6-foot-3.

“He’s been around a lot of great leaders. Just think about all the programs he was at,” McGee said. “In high school, going to USC with Pete Carroll and transferring to coach Richt and then being there with (Kirby Smart as a student assistant in 2019).

“He saw things how they were supposed to be done from a practice and organizational standpoint, kind of building in all facets, and he’s taken that same approach to Carver.”

McGee said he and Jones still text all the time, though McGee joked he’s still waiting on his 10% cut for making Jones play football.

Jones’ Tigers have been largely dominant this season, winning each game by an average of 42.6 points. But Jones has coached Carver through a top-10 battle, too.

For Jones, it wasn’t just the first top-10 win of his coaching career, it was proof of what he’s building.

“Man, that game was huge for our defense, and for both teams, really,” Jones said. “Guys stuck together, they communicated and we played lights out. I just told them to have a four-quarter mentality starting this first quarter, and defensively, I think we did the whole game.”

Because of his connection to the program, Jones has an extra layer of commitment to the Carver standard.

Jones’ 2007 Carver team was the first state championship team in program history and the first region championship team in 30 seasons. The Tigers won six consecutive region titles after Jones helped them break through in 2007.

Crowell now lives in Atlanta, but he often travels to Columbus to watch Carver play. He followed the Tigers to Sumter County for that gritty win a few weeks ago.

Crowell raved about Jones’ coaching staff, which Jones said is full of Carver alumni.

“Jarvis and anybody that played there with us, we know the standard and what we’re supposed to be doing,” Crowell said. “Everybody that was there was motivated, and they’ve got good structure. (Jones is) great to be the man leading the way.”

Crowell played with Jones long enough to know that he can lead well with a quiet demeanor but also be vocal when necessary.

“I know he’s a very laid-back guy, but I know at the same time, he can pump it up a little bit, also,” Crowell said. “He played linebacker, so he’s got what it takes to coach the guys and get them where they need to be.”

Jones admitted his game-day behavior is subdued compared with his coaching style during the week.

“In practice, I do it,” Jones said. “In practice, I rattle them, I say stuff that I shouldn’t say, but in the game, I let them be them.

“I try to give them everything I’ve got and just push them to be the best they can be, and I’m just big on effort, making their effort count twice.”