OXFORD, Miss. -- Jason Jones said location and opportunity were two reasons for his decision to leave Oklahoma State for his new role as Ole Miss' cornerbacks coach.

The Rebels announced the coaching staff addition on Wednesday and Jones met with media following Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze's pre-spring press conference on Thursday. Jones replaces Wesley McGriff, who left to join the New Orleans Saints.

Jones, who played at Alabama and served one year as a graduate assistant with the Crimson Tide, had been the cornerbacks coach at Oklahoma State since 2008, taking part in five bowl games and coaching three cornerbacks to Al-Big XII honors.

In what is in many ways a lateral move, Jones said the opportunity was just too much to pass up.

"One of the things that excited me was the SEC and getting closer to home and family," Jones said. "Family is important to me. Also there is a lot of excitement with Ole Miss. It's an unbelievable place and things are going in the right direction with the recruiting class they signed. I'm excited to get on board with a great staff and an outstanding head coach and be an important part of something special."

McGriff was a prominent recruiter for the Rebels and assisted Freeze in landing Jones. Freeze said Jones was the No. 1 target from the beginning of the search and fit perfectly with the staff requirements.

"Every time our coaches saw him on the road they were so impressed with him, and he's a man of faith, a family man," Freeze said. "He's young and energetic and a tremendous teacher on the field."

Jones has had recruiting success in Texas and the Atlanta area, and those will be two territories he carries over to his time at Ole Miss. Jones said he saw McGriff often during recruiting trips and also knows linebackers coach Tom Allen from a stop in Texas when the two were in the same place evaluating prospects.

Jones, who also spent two years at Tulsa and a year at Rice as a cornerbacks coach, had a recruiting philosophy that is very similar to his new co-workers.

"Recruiting is the most important thing that you do," Jones said. "It's easy to call plays if you have great players. The important thing is to evaluate talent and find young men that fit in. You have to also find the people that are important to him and identify who will play a part in the decision process and build relationships with those people. That's such a big part of it."

The Tuscaloosa, Ala., native was a three-year letterwinner for Alabama in the late 90s and is excited to return to the SEC.

"Coming from the Big XII, the SEC is the best conference," Jones said. "Recruiting in the SEC is hard, have to work at it every single day. That is what excites me, the battles on the field but also the battles in recruiting."

Jones earned a master's degree from Alabama in sports management in 2005. He and his wife Kysha have three children, Andrew, Jace and Jarah.

"The most important thing is to develop relationships with the young men," Jones said. "You have to let them know you care about them as men first, players second. Once you develop those relationships they'll play hard for you."