The Prairie View A&M Panthers (SWAC) have hired Tremaine Jackson as their next head coach. Jackson led Valdosta State to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2024 losing to Ferris State in the title game.
Jackson played football at Texas Southern and Louisiana-Monroe, which was followed by his first coaching experience in 2006 with Texas A&M-Kingsville as the defensive line coach. After a season with Trinity Valley Community College, he landed at Texas Southern. Jackson held various roles in his five seasons with Texas Southern including the tight ends role, defensive line coach, and defensive coordinator. In 2012, Jackson took the defensive coordinator and defensive line positions with Evangel University.
Jackson moved to Sioux Falls for four seasons from 2013 through 2016 where he coached the defensive line in his first year followed by an ascent to the defensive coordinator position for the next three seasons. In 2017 and 2018, he was the defensive coordinator for Abilene Christian in the FCS. He was the defensive line coach at Texas State in 2019 before he got his first head coaching experience with the Division II Colorado Mesa Mavericks.
Jackson led Colorado Mesa to a 2-1 campaign in the COVID-19-impacted 2020-21 season. In 2021, he led the Mavericks to an 8-2 record and a third-place finish in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Jackson then moved to Valdosta State in 2022 where he went 5-6 his first year but bounced back with back-to-back seasons with 12 or more wins. The Blazers went 12-2, won a share of the Gulf South Conference title, and reached the D-II quarterfinals in 2023. The Blazers went 13-1 this season, winning the Gulf South outright, and reaching the D-II Championship before falling 49-14 against Ferris State. Jackson was named the AFCA Division II National Coach of the Year for the 2024 season.
Jackson is 41-11 overall and 22-8 in conference games in his five seasons as head coach. He will replace Bubba McDowell who went 17-18 overall and 14-10 in the SWAC in three seasons.
Photo Credit to Valdosta State University Athletics
