The Daily Campus’ Associate Sports Editor Amber Harris spoke with SMU Mustangs Coach June Jones about his job as coach and the upcoming season.

Daily Campus: You have played and coached for both professional and collegiate football teams. What would you say is the biggest difference between coaching a professional team versus a collegiate team like SMU?

Jones:  As a professional coach you can’t control contracts and you’re stuck with players you weren’t responsible for recruiting and can’t cut them. As a collegiate coach, you recruit the players you want. The X’s and O’s are the same in both, but the difference is that some coaches don’t have control over their players.

Daily Campus: You are about to start your third year at SMU. How have the last few years been progressive?

Jones: It’s been a real blessing trying to turn something around that’s been down for so long.

Daily Campus: It has been almost a decade since your 2001 life-threatening car accident. How has your life changed because of this?

Jones: I really shouldn’t be here. It’s a miracle I’m still alive. I appreciate what I took for granted. I take a little more time to be concerned about my players’ lives on a personal standpoint.

Daily Campus: The new incoming recruiting class includes 16 three-star rivals.com recruits. Would you consider SMU to have one of its best recruiting classes yet?

Jones: This will be the most productive class in 25 years. We’re only as good as the players I bring in.

Daily Campus: SMU just won a bowl game after a 25-year bowl drought. How does it feel to be coaching one of the most improved NCAA Division I Football Teams?

Jones: It doesn’t feel any different to me since the first day I walked in here. It’s a 12-month job. Our goal is to get better.

Daily Campus: Does our offense continue to practice a run-and-shoot offense or do we practice a spread offense?

Jones: We’re a passing team.

Daily Campus: Quite a few players were injured last season. Is everyone making a comeback?

Jones: We had six to eight guys out, but we should be ready by August.

Daily Campus: You were just recently awarded Conference Coach of the year by Sporting News in 2009 for the fourth time in your career, as well as Coach of the Bowl season by College Football News. If you could sum up your philosophy as a coach, would you consider yourself a player’s coach, a strategist, all about X’s and O‘s or an offensive guru?

Jones: I have been fortunate to win those awards. No coach wins that by himself. Putting the team before you breeds winning.

Daily Campus: Whom do you plan to start as quarterback this upcoming season?

Jones: Kyle Padron.

Daily Campus: There has been a lot of jockeying going on in the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences. What do you think about conference expansion? Do you think this will affect SMU in the long term?

Jones: SMU is proactive and ready.

Amber Harris is a senior Journalism major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected]