Troy Athletic Director announces departure

University Relations photo

Dr. Hawkins congratulates Brent Jones on his position as athletic director.

Brent Jones, who has spent the last six years as the athletics director at Troy, has been hired as the associate vice president and executive deputy athletics director at Georgia Tech. Kyle George, executive associate director of athletics, will serve as the interim athletics director. 

“First, I would like to thank Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. for the leadership, friendship and support that he has provided and offered me throughout my tenure,” Jones said in a Georgia Tech press release. “Troy University is a very special university, and I am grateful for my years of being a Troy Trojan.” 

Under Jones’ leadership, Troy Athletics has seen unprecedented levels of success. 

On the field, court and diamond, the Trojans have won 10 Sun Belt Conference championships and made multiple NCAA postseason appearances under Jones. Troy has made NCAA Regionals in baseball (2023) and softball (2021) during Jones’ tenure, and both the men’s and women’s basketball programs have gone dancing. The men’s squad made an NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Sun Belt Tournament Championship earlier this year, and the women’s team went to March Madness in 2021. 

The men’s golf program is coming off its first ever NCAA Championship appearance in 2025. 

Additionally, Troy football won back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships and went to two bowl games in 2022 and 2023. Jones hired head coach Jon Sumrall, who led the football program to that success. 

The Trojans have competed in multiple other postseason tournaments, with a recent women’s basketball run to the WNIT Championship game highlighting those. The volleyball program has also seen three NIVC berths under Jones. 

While at Troy, Jones made several successful hires, including Sumrall and baseball head coach Skylar Meade. Head men’s golf coach Clay Bounds won Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in just his second season at Troy. 

Softball head coach Eric Newell, soccer head coach Stuart Gore, cross country head coach Brian Cunningham and current football head coach Gerad Parker are some of Jones’ other hires. 

Since Jones was promoted to the athletic director position in 2019, the Trojans have also set several attendance and ticket sale records – Troy has drawn the largest single-game football, baseball, softball, women’s basketball and volleyball crowds in school history. There have also been numerous single-season and ticket revenue records set while Jones was at the helm. 

Over the 2024-25 athletic year, Troy recorded the highest amount of community service hours and logged the second highest GPA in school history. Troy has also set records for development dollars raised, merchandise and licensing revenue and corporate sponsorship revenue. 

Jones heavily invested in facilities at Troy, with Riddle-Pace Field seeing significant renovations. Construction is still being completed on an indoor football practice facility. 

Before his tenure as Troy athletics director, Jones spent two years at Troy as the deputy director of athletics for external operations.  

Troy University will begin conducting a nationwide search for the next athletic director.