Navarro College announced today the hiring of Hunter Jenkins as the new head coach of the Bulldogs men’s basketball program. Jenkins officially assumes his duties on April 20, 2026, becoming the next leader of a proud program competing in Region XIV of the NJCAA.
Jenkins brings a dynamic and accomplished coaching resume to Navarro College, with experience spanning multiple successful stops at both the junior college and NCAA Division I levels. He was most recently an assistant coach for the UTEP men’s basketball team, joining the Miners in May of 2025.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Jenkins and his family to Navarro College. His track record of success, recruiting connections, and passion for developing student-athletes make him the ideal choice to lead our program forward” said Michael Landers, Executive Director for Student Services and Athletics at Navarro.
“I am incredibly honored to be named head coach at Navarro College,” Jenkins said. “This is a program with great tradition and strong community support. I’m excited to get to work building relationships, developing our student-athletes, and competing for championships.”
Prior to UTEP, Jenkins served as head coach at Frank Phillips College during the 2024-25 season, where he engineered one of the most notable turnarounds in program history. He guided the Plainsmen to a 24-9 overall record, including an 11-5 mark in conference play, and secured an at-large bid to the NJCAA National Tournament—the program’s first appearance since 1958. Four student-athletes earned All-Western Junior College Athletic Conference honors under his leadership.
Jenkins previously spent four seasons as head coach at Clarendon College, where he consistently built high-performing teams. He led the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons, including a 25-9 campaign in 2023-24 that culminated in a Region V Championship appearance. His teams featured elite talent, including the nation’s top-ranked JUCO player, Dior Johnson, along with seven additional Division I signees. In the 2022-23 season, Clarendon posted a 25-5 record and finished second in the WJCAC. In his first season, Jenkins’ squad ranked among the top-10 offenses nationally, averaging 90.0 points per game.
Earlier in his career, Jenkins gained Division I experience as one of the youngest assistant coaches in the country at the University at Buffalo, where he played a key role in recruiting top-tier talent, including four-star standout Chance Robinson and nationally ranked JUCO prospect David Nickelberry.
Jenkins also held assistant coaching positions at Odessa College and Trinity Valley Community College, contributing to highly successful programs. At Odessa, he helped guide the Wranglers to a 28-7 record, a WJCAC championship, and an Elite Eight appearance in the NJCAA Tournament while coaching NJCAA All-American James Reese and seven Division I players. At Trinity Valley, he coached the nation’s No. 1 JUCO player, Wendell Mitchell, as the Cardinals advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 28-5 record.
His coaching foundation also includes graduate assistant roles at Texas Tech under Big 12 Coach of the Year Chris Beard and at Louisiana Tech, where he worked under current Georgia head coach Mike White. During his time at Texas Tech, Jenkins was part of a staff that secured multiple wins over top-10 nationally ranked opponents and recruited future NBA Lottery picks Zhaire Smith and Jarrett Culver.
A native of Palestine, Texas, Jenkins was a member of a state championship team in 2010 at Cayuga High School, where he played under his father. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana Tech and a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Texas Tech University.
Jenkins and his wife, Joanna, have a son, Jett.
Navarro College competes in Region XIV of the NJCAA, one of the premier junior college basketball regions in the nation. The Bulldogs remain committed to excellence both on the court and in the classroom.
