Slade Buckley enters his fifth season as Jones College's linebackers coach.
Nicknamed the "Smoke Team," his unit has produced seven all-conference selections, including Ole Miss signee and 2023 NJCAA Second Team All-American Raymond Collins. Collins led the team in tackles, tackles-for-loss and sacks his sophomore year.
Nine linebackers have signed with four-year programs during his tenure, eight of those to Division I programs Ole Miss, Southern Miss, ULM, Arkansas State, Jackson State, Western Kentucky, New Mexico State and Long Island University.
Jones has had a Top 5 MACCC scoring defense the past three seasons and was 13th nationally in rushing yards allowed in 2023.
Buckley was a graduate assistant at Florida State University before Jones, working with the Seminole secondary in 2020 and linebackers in 2021. He worked with second round draft pick Asante Samuel Jr. in 2020 and All-Atlantic Coast Conference linebacker Kalen Deloach in 2021.
Prior to FSU, Buckley spent two years as a data analyst at Louisiana-Monroe, where he worked with the defensive backs both years and directly oversaw nickelbacks in 2019. The 2018 Warhawks reached bowl eligibility for the first time since 2013. The 2019 defense produced the conference's interceptions leader and ranked fifth in the Sun Belt in team interceptions and total takeaways.
Buckley began his coaching career as a student assistant at Ole Miss from 2015-17 and graduated with a bachelor's in secondary education. The Rebels won 21 games, including the 2016 Sugar Bowl, in those three seasons.
A 2013 graduate of Petal High School, Buckley was a starter in football, baseball and basketball during his career. He played for a state championship in football in 2011 and won a state championship with the Panthers in baseball in 2011.
Buckley married the former Ashliegh Badley of Laurel in May 2024 and the couple have a 1-year-old son, Sawyer.
