After moving on from Bubba McDowell after three seasons with the team, the Prairie View A&M Panthers football team has called upon a Division II coach with SWAC ties to lead the program.
Former Valdosta State head coach Tremaine Jackson has officially been announced as the Panthers’ coach.
Jackson is a former Texas Southern football player who played for the Tigers in 2002 and 2003. He then served on the Texas Southern coaching staff from 2008 to 2011 in various roles, including a 2010 season in which the team won the SWAC championship (vacated).
Following stops at Evangel University, Sioux Falls, and Abilene Christian, Jackson received his first head coaching job at Colorado Mesa.
In two seasons at Colorado Mesa, he put up a 10-3 overall record, including an 8-2 record in his only full season with the team in 2021.
The following year, the former Texas Southern athlete was hired as Valdosta State’s head coach, a year after they played in the Division II national championship game.
Posting a 5-6 record in his first season, Jackson quickly turned things around, leading Valdosta State to a 12-2 record.
This season, Jackson guided his team to a perfect 10-0 regular season record, advancing to the Division II national championship game before being upended by Ferris State.
Jackson takes over a Prairie View A&M team that has won two division titles in the past four seasons. The Panthers finished the 2024 season with a 5-7 record, the first time they have been below .500 since 2018.