SPRINGFIELD -- John Bonney will join the Missouri State staff as a defensive coach, Bears' new head football coach Casey Woods announced today.

Bonney has spent the past two seasons as the assistant safeties coach at SMU. 

"We are fired up to welcome coach John Bonney to Springfield after two years coaching at SMU," said Woods. "A former Texas football player, coach Bonney brings impressive football knowledge and high-level versatility to our defensive staff. I've been very impressed with his pursuit of excellence in coaching and his dogged determination in recruiting. We welcome him to the Bears family! It takes Us ALL! Join the Climb. Go Bears!"

The 2025 Mustangs under head coach Rhett Lashlee finished 9-4 after defeating Arizona in the Trust & Will Holiday Bowl, including a 7-2 surge after September with just a pair of one-score road losses blemishing the team's ledger the last three months of the season.

SMU's defensive unit currently ranks 5th nationally in red zone defense (.702), 5th in takeaways (28), 7th in interceptions (18), 10th in defensive touchdowns (3), 11th in fumble recoveries (10), 19th in rushing defense (11.9) and 23rd in sacks per game (2.62).
 
In 2024 Bonney worked under coach Scott Symons with the safeties. The unit helped the Mustangs to reach historic heights, making the ACC Championship game and the College Football Playoff. SMU became the first team to go 8-0 in conference play after moving up to a power five conference and marked the first time the Mustangs went undefeated and untied in conference play in conference play in back-to-back seasons.
 
The Mustangs were elite defensively in 2024, thanks in part to the safeties room. SMU ranked top 25 in the FBS in defensive touchdowns (5th, 4), passes intercepted (14th, 16), fourth down conversion pct. Defense (17th, .415), third down conversion pct. defense (19th, .332) and red zone defense (24th, .767), all of which the unit played a large part in.
 
Bonney joined the SMU staff after spending 2023 season as defensive quality control analyst at Coastal Carolina.
 
Bonney was also a defensive quality control analyst at USC in 2021 after a stint as a graduate assistant at Texas Southern from 2019-20.  
 
Bonney played the 2018 season at Texas Tech where he appeared in all 12 games with eight starts at safety. He logged 32 total tackles, forced two fumbles and had a pass breakup.

Previously, he played cornerback and nickelback for three seasons at Texas (2015-17), seeing action in every game. As a junior in 2017, he had 19 total tackles with an interception and a pair of fumble recoveries. He logged a season-high 4 tackles vs. USC and snagged his lone interception from Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield. He started seven games as a sophomore in 2016, getting 39 tackles, 9 pass defenses and a forced fumble. In 2015, he had 29 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble as a redshirt freshman backup. He was a four-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll and made the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 first team.
 
Originally from Houston, Texas, he was a four-year starting safety at Lamar High in Houston.
 
He earned his bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications from Texas in 2018.

His hire is contingent upon formal approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting.