Following the departures of Jonathan Bradley and Jason Onyebuagu for South Alabama, Jackson State is restocking its defensive side of the coaching staff.
On Tuesday, it was reported by FootballScoop that head coach T.C. Taylor had promoted Torenzo Quinn to replace Bradley as the team’s defensive coordinator. In his first season in Jackson, Quinn coached defensive backs and served as the team’s pass game coordinator.
Quinn has held coordinator positions on both sides of the ball, with his first job after his playing days at Memphis being offensive coordinator for Ruleville High School. He quickly moving to the college level, accepting a graduate assistant position at Alcorn State. His next job came as assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he served for two seasons before returning to the Magnolia State as offensive coordinator for Mississippi Delta Community College in 2021. In 2022, he was hired as the safeties coach at Alcorn before coming to Jackson State in 2023.
The news of Quinn’s promotion comes a couple days after 247Sports reported that Kali James was leaving his post at the University of Florida to become the Tigers’ next defensive line coach. James had been a graduate assistant for the Gators for two seasons before being promoted to assistant defensive line coach earlier this month.
Florida graduate assistant Kali James is expected to be hired as defensive line coach at Jackson State, a source tells @247sports.
James worked at Florida the last two seasons. Was a four-year starter at defensive tackle and two-time team captain as a player at Tuskegee.… pic.twitter.com/Um3sQfethx
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 24, 2024
Quinn, a four-year starter at Tuskegee College from 2016-19, replaces Onyebuagu who was recruited alongside Bradley to join Major Applewhite’s first staff at South Alabama.
While the defensive side of the coaching staff is beginning to round out for Taylor and the Tigers, the team has yet to announce a new offensive coordinator following Maurice Harris’ departure for Auburn.
Jackson State is coming off a 7-4 season, its first without former head coach Deion Sanders.
