Jake Stone enters his third season at Tarleton State in 2025 as the outside linebackers coach.
The Texans just posted a historic campaign in 2024, going 10-4 overall and 6-2 in United Athletic Conference play, winning their FCS Playoffs debut against Drake before dropping a tight contest at No. 4 South Dakota in Vermillion in the second round. On Nov. 30, 13-seed Tarleton hosted Drake in the first round of the FCS Playoffs winning 43-29 at Memorial Stadium. The Texans became the fifth team in the history of the FCS Playoffs (Division I-AA Playoffs), which goes back 46 years, to win their first playoff game at the FCS level in their first year eligible after reclassifying from NCAA Division II. Two of those five teams comprised of the four-team playoff field in that initial round of the FCS Playoffs – Florida A&M and UMass, in 1978. The other two programs are currently in the FBS; Troy in 1993 and UCF in 1990. The Texans earned the No. 13 seed in the FCS Playoffs among the 24-team field across 129 FCS programs in just their first year of championship eligibility. They had become just the first team fresh off of reclassification to make the playoffs since 2009 (South Dakota State). Tarleton State was named No. 12 in the final AFCA FCS Coaches Poll of the season, and No. 13 in the final Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll of the season. Tarleton State was ranked in both polls every single week of the 2024 campaign, from the preseason through the postseason. The Texans were just one of 11 teams nationwide to never leave the polls, joined by Idaho, Illinois State, Montana, Montana State, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, UC Davis, UIW and Villanova. Tarleton State started 2024 7-1, with a six-game winning streak, their best start and their longest winning streak in the D1 era. Stone’s group helped the defense rank tied-third in the country in takeaways with 29 (first in conference), including the tied-fifth most interceptions (18) and tied-eighth most fumble recoveries (11). The Texans were second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 24.6 points per game. Tarleton State allowed fewer than 20 points in six different games, including a 42-0 shutout on Homecoming against the UAC’s Utah Tech. Linebacker Ty Rawls earned UAC All-Conference Second Team.
In Tarleton State’s final year of their four-year reclassification period, Stone helped the Texans finish 8-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. They finished second in the inaugural United Athletic Conference, despite being picked to finish sixth in the 2023 Preseason UAC Coaches Poll. The Texans led the UAC in sacks (26, tied-28th in FCS) and tied-third in tackles for loss (65). Altogether, Stone’s unit contributed to a defense that topped the conference in yards per play allowed (4.76), defensive touchdowns (four, tied-fourth in FCS) and fumbles recovered (11, tied-ninth in FCS). The unit also tied for the third most takeaways in the UAC (18), while allowing the fourth fewest points per game (24.5).
Before Tarleton State, Stone was a longtime Tulane Football member who helped the team reach four bowl games in his postgraduate career.
Stone spent 11 years with the Green Wave and was part of Tulane’s incredible turnaround season in which they went 12-2 in 2022. They won their first ever American Athletic Conference Football Championship and then capped it off with a Cotton Bowl victory against USC.
“Jake’s a really sharp young coach who’s been well trained,” head coach Todd Whitten said at the time of Stone’s hiring. “Jake comes highly recommended and has learned a great deal from [Tulane head coach] Willie Fritz, someone I’ve been friends with for many years. I think Jake is going to be a really good addition to our coaching staff.”
Stone spent his last three seasons at Tulane as the Green Wave’s defensive analyst, from 2020-22. He was a graduate assistant for four years prior, serving three seasons from 2017-19 as the defensive GA and 2016 as the recruiting GA. Before that, he was a student assistant with the team for four years during his undergraduate career.
"My wife Chelsea and I are both incredibly excited to be joining the Tarleton family,” Stone said at the time of his hiring. “Upon my arrival to Stephenville, I have found everything about the university and the surrounding community to be first class. I'd like to thank Dr. Hurley, Mr. Reisman, Coach Whitten and Coach Nix for giving me this unbelievable opportunity.
“It is clear to me that there is a high standard and level of expectation that comes with the privilege of wearing the Tarleton Texan logo,” he continued. “I am ready for the challenge that is ahead of us. I can't wait to get to work as I strive to help the Tarleton football program reach new heights, both on and off the field.”
Stone helped Tulane reach unprecedented heights in 2022, as the Green Wave turned a 2-10 2021 campaign into a forever memorable 12-2 season in 2022. Defensively, Tulane had the 32nd best scoring defense at the NCAA Division I FBS level, allowing just 22.2 points per game. That was the second best mark in the AAC. In terms of yardage, Tulane was 37th nationally in pass yards allowed per game (208.1) and 46th in total defense (360.4).
With the help of Stone, the Green Wave defense had consistently been a top-five unit in the AAC. In addition to top-five numbers across the board in 2022, Tulane most notably finished second in sacks (2.8 per, tied-31st in the FBS) in 2021, first in sacks in 2020 (3.2 per, tied-13th in the FBS), fourth in takeaways in 2020 (19, tied-19th in the FBS), and first in sacks in 2018 (3.2 per, eighth most in the country).
Since beginning his postgraduate career on the coaching staff in 2016, Tulane made it to four bowl games, winning the Cotton Bowl over USC in 2022, falling to Nevada in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2020, a win over Southern Miss in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in 2019, and a win over Louisiana-Lafayette in the AutoNation Cure Bowl in 2018.
The Cleveland native earned three degrees at Tulane; a Bachelor of Science in Management, a Master’s of Liberal Arts and a Master’s of Business Administration.
