The UBC Thunderbirds have hired Khari Jones as their new quarterbacks coach.
“What’s obvious to me is the value of the Khari Jones brand, not only in terms of recruiting, not only in terms of player development, but also for alumni engagement,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill in a statement.
“This gentleman has such a strong link to Canadian football — a former CFL Player of the Year, 15-plus years as a coach, numerous coordinator positions, head coaching positions, and he’s a very well-respected individual in the football community. UBC is very fortunate to have Khari associated with us now and it’s up to me as the head coach to utilize him as best we can to help grow our program.”
Jones most recently served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator of the Ottawa Redblacks in 2023. He was previously the head coach and offensive coordinator of the Montreal Alouettes, offensive coordinator of the B.C. Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and quarterbacks coach of the Tiger-Cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders, winning a Grey Cup with the Riders in 2013.
“Blake Nill has won; he knows what it takes, and hopefully I can add to the mix working with the QBs,” said Jones.
“I don’t even know how many quarterbacks I’ve coached over the past many years, so I feel pretty confident in my abilities to help quarterbacks achieve their goals and be the best for their team — not only on the field, but off the field and all the things that come with it. I’m excited, I’m all about winning, that’s the number one thing is to put a winning program out there.”
Jones played eleven seasons in the CFL as a member of the Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Football Team, and Tiger-Cats, throwing for 21,383 yards, 145 touchdowns, and 104 interceptions. He was a two-time divisional all-star, one-time CFL all-star, and the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2001.
UBC went 5-3 in Canada West this past season, placing second in the regular-season standings. The Thunderbirds lost to the Saskatchewan Huskies in the first round of the playoffs by a score of 38-33.