University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Track & Field Hires Jamaal Barnes As Assistant Coach
August 14, 2023 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach and director of track & field Duane Ross has announced the addition of Jamaal Barnes to the program's coaching staff. A former sprinter at Auburn entering his 10th year of coaching at the collegiate level, Barnes will guide Tennessee's combined events and horizontal jumps while spearheading UT's efforts in recruiting.
"As we continue our mission to build Tennessee track & field into a national powerhouse, we're excited to add Coach Barnes to our elite staff," Ross said. "Jamaal will bring a fresh energy and approach into the program as we work to attract and retain world-class talent on Rocky Top. He has had tremendous success as a coach and mentor at each of his previous stops, and we can't wait to see the impact he will have in Knoxville."
Barnes joins the Tennessee staff after previous stints as an assistant coach at Louisville, Southern Miss, Georgia State and Augusta University. He also served as head coach and led a program resurgence at Pratt (Kan.) Community College from 2017-19, guiding his squads to their first top 25 NJCAA finishes since 1983, 12 All-America certificates and 45 school records in a two-year span.
Since 2014, Barnes' resume includes coaching athletes to 25 USTFCCCA All-America honors, 18 individual/relay conference titles and 157 all-conference accolades.
"I'm quite humbled and would like to thank Coach Ross for this amazing opportunity with Tennessee track & field," Barnes said. "I look forward to working with this top-notch group of coaches and athletes to build on the traditions set and leave our mark on this program going forward. Go Vols!"
At Louisville, Barnes coached freshman high jumper Brion Stephens to the 2023 USATF U-20 title and a runner-up finish at the U20 Pan American Championships. In his lone season with the Cardinals, Barnes' coached a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference champions while his athletes totaled seven All-America performances.
Barnes spent three seasons coaching jumps, hurdles, sprints and combined events at Southern Miss, helping guide the Golden Eagles to back-to-back Conference USA women's indoor team championships in 2021 and 2022. On the men's side, he led high jumper Corvell Todd to a national runner-up finish at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships and C-USA Men's Field Athlete of the Year acclaim.
Prior to taking the reins at Pratt CC, Barnes served two assistant coaching stints at Georgia State during the 2014-15 and 2016-17 track seasons. He led Panther athletes to four Sun Belt individual/relay titles and 19 all-conference showings and helped three-time champion Ravin Gilbert collect Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer laurels in his first year of coaching at the collegiate level.
In 2015-16, Barnes was an assistant coach and residence life assistant at Augusta (Ga.) University in the Division II ranks. He coached one Peach Belt conference champion, 12 all-conference performers and two USTFCCCA Div. II All-Region athletes during his time in Augusta.
Barnes has also built a reputation of promoting the holistic development of student-athletes on and off the track. Over the past decade, his athletes have garnered 19 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual awards and seven USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors.
The former SEC sprinter began his coaching career as an associate head coach at Opelika High School in Opelika, Alabama, from 2011-14. He guided the boys' team to a runner-up finish at the 2014 AHSAA 6A State Championships and helped more than 15 athletes receive scholarship offers to NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NAIA institutions.
Barnes graduated from Auburn University in 2011 with his undergraduate degree in exercise science and received his master's in sport management from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2022. He has achieved USATF Level 1, USTFCCCA Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and USTFCCCA Strength & Conditioning coaching certification.
"As we continue our mission to build Tennessee track & field into a national powerhouse, we're excited to add Coach Barnes to our elite staff," Ross said. "Jamaal will bring a fresh energy and approach into the program as we work to attract and retain world-class talent on Rocky Top. He has had tremendous success as a coach and mentor at each of his previous stops, and we can't wait to see the impact he will have in Knoxville."
Barnes joins the Tennessee staff after previous stints as an assistant coach at Louisville, Southern Miss, Georgia State and Augusta University. He also served as head coach and led a program resurgence at Pratt (Kan.) Community College from 2017-19, guiding his squads to their first top 25 NJCAA finishes since 1983, 12 All-America certificates and 45 school records in a two-year span.
Since 2014, Barnes' resume includes coaching athletes to 25 USTFCCCA All-America honors, 18 individual/relay conference titles and 157 all-conference accolades.
"I'm quite humbled and would like to thank Coach Ross for this amazing opportunity with Tennessee track & field," Barnes said. "I look forward to working with this top-notch group of coaches and athletes to build on the traditions set and leave our mark on this program going forward. Go Vols!"
At Louisville, Barnes coached freshman high jumper Brion Stephens to the 2023 USATF U-20 title and a runner-up finish at the U20 Pan American Championships. In his lone season with the Cardinals, Barnes' coached a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference champions while his athletes totaled seven All-America performances.
Barnes spent three seasons coaching jumps, hurdles, sprints and combined events at Southern Miss, helping guide the Golden Eagles to back-to-back Conference USA women's indoor team championships in 2021 and 2022. On the men's side, he led high jumper Corvell Todd to a national runner-up finish at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships and C-USA Men's Field Athlete of the Year acclaim.
Prior to taking the reins at Pratt CC, Barnes served two assistant coaching stints at Georgia State during the 2014-15 and 2016-17 track seasons. He led Panther athletes to four Sun Belt individual/relay titles and 19 all-conference showings and helped three-time champion Ravin Gilbert collect Most Outstanding Women's Track Performer laurels in his first year of coaching at the collegiate level.
In 2015-16, Barnes was an assistant coach and residence life assistant at Augusta (Ga.) University in the Division II ranks. He coached one Peach Belt conference champion, 12 all-conference performers and two USTFCCCA Div. II All-Region athletes during his time in Augusta.
Barnes has also built a reputation of promoting the holistic development of student-athletes on and off the track. Over the past decade, his athletes have garnered 19 USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual awards and seven USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honors.
The former SEC sprinter began his coaching career as an associate head coach at Opelika High School in Opelika, Alabama, from 2011-14. He guided the boys' team to a runner-up finish at the 2014 AHSAA 6A State Championships and helped more than 15 athletes receive scholarship offers to NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NAIA institutions.
Barnes graduated from Auburn University in 2011 with his undergraduate degree in exercise science and received his master's in sport management from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2022. He has achieved USATF Level 1, USTFCCCA Sprints/Hurdles/Relays and USTFCCCA Strength & Conditioning coaching certification.
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