Tyler Jones
Tyler Jones joined the Virginia athletics department as the deputy athletics director for external operations in July 2023. He was promoted to deputy athletics director, chief strategy officer and general manager in July 2025.
Jones came to UVA after spending two years at Northwestern as the executive senior associate athletics director for revenue generation and strategic initiatives.
Jones provides strategic leadership of various external units, including ticket sales and operations, marketing and fan engagement, athletic communications, creative services, video services, and broadcast and event productions. He serves as the primary day-to-day contact for the department’s multimedia rights holder, Virginia Sports Properties, and serves on the University Licensing Committee. Jones is the sports administrator for the Cavalier football program and men’s and women’s tennis programs.
As the Chief Strategy Officer and General Manager, Jones leads the athletics’ Front Office efforts, while overseeing the department’s revenue generation verticals. Jones will also serve as UVA’s CAP Manager for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball.
As general manager for football and women’s basketball, Jones works closely with each head coach on key responsibilities, including roster construction, talent evaluation, student-athlete negotiations, resource allocation, navigating the transfer portal and the market, and managing the budget.
As UVA’s CAP Manager for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball, Jones develops and manages the roster budget (the CAP) and all funding components, including scholarships, revenue sharing and other student-athlete benefits. He helps manage CAP compliance and work directly with the Cav Futures marketing agency and UVA’s other strategic NIL partners to help student-athletes drive their value in the marketplace.
Under Jones’ leadership at UVA, the athletics department has experienced exceptional growth in the areas of revenue generation and fan development since his arrival in the Fall of 2023. Football attendance has increased year over year. In 2024, UVA football was ranked 25th nationally in net attendance gain and third in the ACC in net attendance per game, behind FSU and Louisville. Women’s basketball, baseball and men’s lacrosse set program records in ticket revenue in consecutive years under Jones’ guidance, with softball and women’s volleyball setting program records in attendance in back-to-back seasons.
As the executive senior associate athletics director at Northwestern University, Jones implemented a new contemporary philosophy for general external operations. He developed and deployed an integrated framework that leveraged data/analytics, innovative partnerships and new technology, which recognized significant leaps in revenue generation, campus/community engagement, and brand development. In 2022-23, the athletics department grew ticket revenue by 13 percent year-to-year while setting several attendance and revenue records across the department.
Jones also worked with NU apparel partner Under Armour and concessionaire Levy on strategic initiatives to drive revenue and enhance the brand of NU athletics. He was a key administrator in Northwestern’s efforts to develop a NIL framework that included partnerships with Altius Sports and The Brander Group to help position Wildcats’ student-athletes to maximize their Name, Image and Likeness opportunities.
He served as the primary sport administrator for the men’s basketball and soccer programs. As the primary sport supervisor of the men’s basketball program, the Wildcats had one of the best seasons in program history, finishing runner-up in the Big Ten Conference, defeating the No. 1-ranked program in the country while earning a bid to the NCAA tournament for just the second time in program history.
From 2019-21, Jones worked at Cleveland State, where he served as deputy director of athletics for external operations. During that time, CSU increased its men’s basketball attendance by 50 percent and pushed season ticket sales to their highest point in nearly a decade. He helped reestablish the department’s annual giving program and led an advancement team that secured a record 2,500-plus gifts and pledges, one of the most successful fundraising years in program history.
Jones spent six years on the athletics marketing/fan development staff at Ohio State. He joined the Buckeyes’ athletic department in 2013 as the assistant director for fan experience and promotions and was quickly elevated to director of fan experience and promotions in 2014. Jones was promoted to assistant athletics director for fan engagement in 2016. In that position, he oversaw and provided leadership for the fan experience, marketing, and creative design units and served as a liaison for trademark licensing and the Ohio State marching band.
Prior to his time in Columbus, Jones served as the head of athletics marketing and promotions at his alma mater, Eastern Michigan, and was a marketing and sales assistant at Tennessee.
Jones was a standout on the Eastern Michigan football team from 2004-09. During his senior season, Jones was elected captain, named the team’s most valuable player and tied the NCAA Division I record when he hauled in 23 receptions in a victory over Central Michigan. Following the conclusion of the football season, Jones captained the Eastern Michigan basketball team.
Jones earned his undergraduate degree in marketing and business, and a Master of Science degree in sport management from Eastern Michigan. He and his wife, Ashley, have a daughter, Vada Loren.