“This is a dream job. While I’m not an alum this is my university and while I’m not from the state of Alabama or Troy, Alabama, this is my hometown now. This is where I want my kids to grow up and where I want to grow old. I have a vision and a passion for Troy University.” -Brent Jones, Troy University Director of Athletics
Brent Jones has now spent just over 6 weeks as Troy University’s Director of Athletics. When friend and mentor, Jeremy McClain, decided to move on Jones was sad to see him go, but ready for a new challenge.
“You always want people to go on to do whatever it is they want to do and Jeremy came from Southern Miss and then Southern Miss came knocking. You never want someone to leave, he’s been a great mentor to me. But when this opportunity came about with Troy, I jumped at the chance,” he says.
Jones spent over two years as the Deputy Director of Athletics. He knew the university and wanted to build upon the success of McClain and the others that came before him. However, coming from within the department had its own set of challenges.
“Being an internal candidate is a bit different,” Jones explains. “You can’t campaign, you can’t promote yourself, whatever you’ve done in the past has to stand. So, I felt really good about what we had been able to do from a revenue standpoint, licensing, merchandise, branding, from a facility standpoint with the brand new north end zone, which is top-notch.”
Jones tells CollegeAD he had a message that resonated with Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., and it’s a vision he stands behind.
“My message was one of momentum, trajectory, and that we really needed to be great stewards of our brand and resources. I believe that while we’ve had phenomenal days at Troy University, the future is even brighter.”
He knows there are obstacles to come, but at the same time, he’s ready to prove himself and execute his own plans for Troy.
“If you are an internal candidate, you don’t want anything just to be given to you. This job was not given to me, from what I’ve been told there were some extremely qualified applicants because this job is very attractive. A lot of success has been had here and I felt that I could continue to grow upon that success.”
He started his time as AD much in the same way an external candidate would. He did a round-robin with the staff and got unfiltered feedback about where the department is now and where it could be in the future. 
“An internal candidate has a lot of preconceived notions about the university culture and athletics,” he explains. “However, I wanted to ask different questions than I was as a deputy AD. So, I met with every coach and department head within the first two weeks, and it was a whirlwind, but it was incredibly important.”
Jones has laid out a plan for the next 6 to 12 months and it begins with revenue generation.
“If you look at the licensing deals, ticket sales, they’re all at the highest they’ve been for Troy University. We have to continue that. We are shaping our fundraising operation instead of transactional, ticket-based, we are changing to philanthropic.”
Jones explained that he asked his department heads and coaches what they want and need to succeed. He says donors will now see the direct impact of their gifts.
“It will be a new way of doing things, but these streams of revenue will be very impactful.”