Florida Memorial University Men's Football

With a passion for coaching and a track record of success, Michael Jones is currently serving as the Head Coach  at Florida Memorial University. His dedication to the team and exceptional coaching abilities have been recognized with prestigious accolades, including the 2023 Sun Conference Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2024 AFCA National Coach of the Year awards. Under his leadership, the program has achieved remarkable milestones and successes. Having coached at Florida Memorial since 2020, serving as the offensive Coordinator since 2021, he helped lead the team to the most wins in modern history, guiding them to their first SUN Conference victory and their back to back  SUN Conference Championship appearances in 23-24 and 24-25. In addition, he helped significantly improve the team's conference record from 0-5 in 2022 to an impressive 5-2 in 2023, culminating in the program's first winning season with a record of 7-4. In 2024, FMU finished 4-2 in conference play, and 6-3-1 overall. In 2023, the FMU Lions offense averaged 37 points per game, good for third among all HBCU's. In 2024, the Lions offensive averaged 38 points per game, good for second among all HBCU's.

Roy Smith, born and raised in Miami’s historic Overtown community, is a proud graduate of Miami Northwestern Senior High School, where he made a name for himself as one of the nation’s premier high school hurdlers. He was ranked No. 3 nationally in the 110m hurdles and held the No. 1 national ranking in the 400m hurdles for a period of time. His senior year was highlighted by winning the Florida 6A State Championship in the 110m hurdles, being named MVP of the Golden South Classic, and placing 3rd at the 2010 New Balance Nationals. Smith continued his athletic and academic career at the University of North Carolina, where he walked on to the Tar Heels football team during training camp in 2012 and earned a scholarship through his exceptional performance and dedication. On the football field, he returned 12 punts for 164 yards, averaging 13.7 yards per return. In his collegiate debut vs. Elon, he returned six punts for 127 yards, including a long of 28, helping UNC break the ACC single-game punt return yardage record with 260 yards. Simultaneously, Smith was a standout in UNC’s track and field program, where he earned several ACC awards and finished his career ranked among the top five all-time fastest hurdlers in UNC history. He also represented Team USA at the Pan American Junior Championships, where he won a silver medal in the 110m hurdles and crushed his personal record with a time of 13.24 seconds, finishing the season ranked No. 3 in the IAAF World Junior Rankings. Smith later earned his degree from UNC and completed further studies at St. Thomas University, where he began his coaching career as the Wide Receivers Coach, mentoring two Freshman All-Americans in his first season. He then joined the staff at Florida Memorial University, where he has helped develop players who earned Second Team All-American honors and multiple Player of the Week accolades. Roy now serves as Tight Ends Coach and Special Teams Coordinator, bringing high-level experience, a deep Miami-rooted passion for the game, and a commitment to developing young men on and off the field.

Jarius Marlow joined the FMU family as co-defensive coordinator & defensive back coach in Summer 2026. Marlow previously spent two seasons at St. Thomas University as the co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. In his final season, STU had both its kicker and punter named to First-Team All-Conference in addition to the Special Teams Player of the Year. The special teams unit scored six total touchdowns that season, led the country in punt return yards, and was top 10 in the country in kick return average. In 2024, STU's defensive was top five in the country in interceptions and led the country in defensive touchdowns. Marlow spent three seasons at Chowan University, two as special teams coordinator and one as the defensive coordinator. He also served as the defensive back coach and special teams coordinator at Lyon College. Marlow coached at Gannon University for three seasons, where he served as the defensive backs coach for his first two seasons and defensive coordinator in his third season. Marlow served as the corner backs coach at MacMurray College. He helped with community relations and facilities for the Highlanders. Prior to MacMurray, Marlow served as an offensive intern at Saint Vincent following his collegiate career.

In 2024, McLeod helped guide Florida to a late-season charge, winning the last four games of the season to finish with an 8-5 record overall, with victories over No. 21 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss, Florida State and Tulane in the 16 th Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl. The Gators were one of just unranked six teams in the nation to post multiple top-25 wins on the year. As a unit, the Florida defense finished the season ranked ninth in the nation in red zone defense (.725), 11 th in sacks per game (3.0), 11 th in fumbles recovered (11) and 13 th in turnovers gained (25). The Gators finished the year with at least one takeaway in 10-straight games and 12 times in 13 games. The Gator defense improved in nearly every statistical category from 2023 to 2024, including sacks (+17), tackles for loss (+28), forced fumbles (+11), pass breakups (+12), interceptions (+11) and turnovers gained (+18). Individually along the interior defensive line, Caleb Banks and Cam Jackson were a formidable duo for opponents all season long. Banks finished with 21 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one pass breakup, six quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. Jackson tallied 37 tackles, four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. He joined the Gators 3 years ago after serving as Hawthorne high school defensive line coach during the 2021season. Native of Gainesville, Florida MCLEOD graduated from Jackson State University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in sports management & kinesiology. He earned four letters playing both defensive tackle and offensive guard for the Tigers from 2008-2012.

Marquis Smith joined the Lions in the spring of 2025. With him he brings a commitment to excellence, player development, and a winning culture. Smith, a native of Prince George's County, Maryland, has built a commendable career in football, both as a player and a coach. Over eight years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, Smith has built a reputation for his dedication, leadership, and mentorship. Known for his ability to develop players both on and off the field, Smith’s coaching philosophy emphasizes key values such as discipline, teamwork, and accountability, ensuring that athletes grow as both players and individuals while giving back to their community.