Daronte Jones is returning to his roots by signing on to be the Washington Commanders' new defensive coordinator, and that's not just because he went to school down the street from Northwest Stadium rocking the burgundy and gold.

He is also coming back to the area that first sparked his love for the sport. Jones, 47, finished up his college career as a defensive back with Morgan State. Almost a decade later, Jones returned to the DMV as Bowie State's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator -- positions he held for five seasons.

Jones knows that HBCUs don't have the same "glitz and glamour" as many of the top programs in the country, but many of the lessons he learned at both Morgan State and Bowie State helped shape the coaching philosophies that he still relies upon.

"It's the foundation of who I am today," Jones said during his Feb. 10 introductory press conference.

Jones transferred to Morgan State after spending a season at Temple, and it didn't take long for him to realize that he was in for a different type of college experience with the Bears. Back in 2021, he described the transition from a predominantly white college to an HBCU as "rough." The program held him accountable in ways that he wasn't used to with the Owls. There were regular class checks; attending study hall was expected; and missed class could result in a failing grade.

Morgan State's facilities were not as updated as they were at Temple, so practices were also different. He and his teammates used to joke about there being a hump in the field and that the track was cement. "It was different," as Jones said in a 2021 interview with Morgan State when he became LSU's defensive coordinator, which seems like an understatement, particularly when compared to how well constructed many high-end Division I programs have become in recent years.

Still, Jones got what he needed out of his experiences at Morgan. The academic demands were more rigorous, but the program helped "guide you along the way until you become mature enough to handle things on your own." The practices were difficult, but they "helped build my character and helped me to push and see things through."

"Those coaches that coached me at Morgan State, they cared for me and they cared about my development, not just as a football player, but as a person, as a man, as a father, as a husband," Jones said. "They cared about that development. And I think that's what the HBCUs do. They help bridge that gap."

It also provided Jones with a launchpad for his coaching career. With encouragement from his position coach, Dexter Davis, and then-Morgan State head coach Stump Mitchell, he started helping the coaching staff after his injury. He applied for a graduate assistant role after his senior year but did not get an offer from the new staff.

Jones had to look elsewhere to start his coaching career. His first job came as a graduate assistant at the Division II level with Lenoir–Rhyne in North Carolina. The program fired the staff after one season, which led to him becoming the safeties coach at Nicholls State for a season. He then went down to the high school level to be the defensive coordinator for Franklin and Jeanerette High Schools in Louisiana.

That's when Bowie State came calling. The Bulldogs offered to make him their defensive coordinator after he missed out on a defensive backs position at Morgan State. Jones was back at the HBCU level; only the roles were reversed this time around. This time, he was the one making sure his players were going to class and putting them through the grueling practices to improve their character.

But Jones took on more than just providing his players with guidance on the field. He went out of his way to make sure they had what they needed off the field as well, whether it was food or "whatever it may be." He wanted to make sure they had the tools to be successful outside of football and getting a college degree.

It was an important moment in building his mantra of establishing and strengthening relationships with his players -- something Jones still tries to do today and what many believe to be one of his biggest strengths as a coach.

"Once they are in for you, they'll go through a brick wall for you," Jones said. "The relationships that we build in me getting to know them and them getting to know me off the field are really genuine."

And making sure players know that his care for them extends beyond the field encourages them to play harder for him, too.

"And when you develop that relationship, they realize that, 'You know what? He cares more than just if I make this play or not. He's really invested in me. And so, because he's invested in me, I can now become invested in him and what he's teaching and buying in,'" Jones said. "Because when you're dealing with, especially football players, or just any athlete or people in general, for me to listen to you, I have to be invested in you."

Jones has continuously gambled on himself throughout his coaching career. That approach landed him his first opportunity as an NFL play caller with the Commanders, who are looking to breathe new life into their defense after a disappointing 2025 campaign. It's only fitting that he gets to take on that challenge back home where that passion began.

"The foundation of who I am and why relationships are so important to me is because of those players that I've come in contact with either coaching or playing with. It's special, and there's a bond that's there."