CAA Sports is doubling down on its college coaching business by hiring Walker Jones, who led Under Armour's college division for the past six years. Jones will work with agents Jimmy Sexton and Trace Armstrong to grow its base of college coaching clients. CAA's client list is headlined by Alabama's Nick Saban, Florida State's Jimbo Fisher and Auburn's Gus Malzahn, but CAA is bringing in Jones to deepen its pool of coaches with younger head coaches and up-and-coming coordinators who are likely to become head-coaching candidates. Jones will use the contacts he developed at UA to attract both football and basketball coaches. "We're looking for that next wave of guys," Jones said. "My focus will mostly be on expanding the client base." At UA, where Jones was Senior Dir of Marketing for the college and grassroots divisions, he spearheaded the brand's equipment and apparel deals with 13 schools. Most recently, UA signed a multiyear deal with Notre Dame. The brand also works with schools like Auburn, Maryland and South Carolina. Jones said a recent re-organization within the company made it a good time to explore other opportunities that would get him closer to home. A former Ole Miss football player, Jones will work out of CAA's office in Memphis. "Working with Jimmy, who is a pioneer in the coaching business, is a great opportunity," Jones said. "This will bring our family closer to home and I get to stay in the same industry and use the same contacts I've developed over six years at Under Armour." Jones said his start date at CAA will be Feb. 22. He will be replaced at UA by Nick Carparelli, who was hired from the American Athletic Conference and will oversee UA's college business.
