Tremaine Jackson, a hot name in several FCS HBCU football coaching searches, has coached his last game at Valdosta State and is headed to Prairie View A&M.
Jackson said he told his players he had coached his final game at the school following its 49-14 loss to Ferris State in the NCAA Division II national title game. He has been reported as a candidate at both Prairie View A&M and Alabama A&M — both HBCUs that compete in the SWAC. Valdosta State tweeted a post announcing his move.
Valdosta State, a four-time national champion, went 30-9 under Jackson’s tutelage since his hire ahead of the 2022 season.
In year two at the helm, Jackson led Valdosta State to the Gulf South Conference championship, becoming the first black coach in conference history to win the title, and was the only non-HBCU black coach to win a conference championship in 2023. The Blazers closed out the regular season with a =10-1 record, Jackson’s first 10-win season as a head coach, which was capped off with a 58-28 victory over West Georgia in the final installment of the Peach Basket.
Before taking over in Valdosta, Tremaine Jackson spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons leading the Colorado Mesa Mavericks. During his tenure in Grand Junction, Jackson went 10-3 in his two seasons, including an 8-2 mark in 2021, highlighted by a thrilling 26-21 victory over then-No. 3-ranked Colorado School of Mines.
Jackson played on the defensive line at Texas Southern for two years after transferring from the University of Louisiana-Monroe. He is a 2006 graduate of the University of Houston, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.
He then spent four seasons at TSU, helping the Tigers win a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title in 2010 as the program led the country (FCS) in total defense, sacks and tackles for loss. They also led the country in total defense in 2011 in his lone season as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator.