Kayla Hankins begins her 10th year as the Jones College cheerleading coach and second as the assistant athletic director for compliance and eligibility this fall.
The Bobcats are a competitive squad that cheers at all football games, home basketball games, pep rallies and other events in the community. They travel with teams to playoff games, tournaments and also compete in Orlando annually in the UCA College National Championships.
The 2020 squad placed second in the UCA College Championship Open Coed Division and third in the Open Coed Gameday Division.
Hankins helps with scheduling and advisement of all student-athletes and teaches a psychology of personal adjustment class.
The Hattiesburg native started at Jones as the assistant cheer coach and working in the recruiting office.
Hankins was a member of the nationally-ranked Bobcat cheerleading squad from 2005-07 and served as captain of the co-ed squad. She continued cheering at Southern Mississippi from 2007-09.
Hankins has an MEd counseling services with an emphasis in higher education and bachelor of science in psychology, both from Southern Mississippi.
Kayla and her husband Martin, a college official, have a daughter, Lillian Kate, and a son, Klein.