Former Grambling State head football coach Hue Jackson spoke about his time at the university. Jackson joined renowned HBCU YouTuber Offscript for an exclusive live interview. The 45-minute interview covered Jackson's tenure at Grambling, why he believed he was fired, and his future coaching plans.
The former head coach of the Cleveland Browns signed a four-year, $1.6 million contract with the university in December 2021. In his two years, Jackson led the Tigers to an 8-14 record, though there was a marked improvement between the first and second seasons.
“I think we all know programs can't be turned around in two years in institutions where funding is extremely inadequate, [and] facilities, equipment, and training support are in significant despair,” Jackson said. “Institutional support is limited and opportunities are derailed at every turn. I think we all know that.”
Throughout the interview, Jackson repeatedly affirmed his belief in the Grambling State Tigers' 2024 season. He felt they were a legitimate threat for years to come.
“We were turning the program back into the monster that we all want it to be, but that does take time… You could see that the building blocks were there. Next year's team, with everyone returning, was going to be the best offense in the conference. It as going to be one of the better defenses in the conference, when I see one of the young defensive lineman was named All-Freshman All-American, when I see a young receiver who was Newcomer of the Year. I think it was really ready to take off. If you want to build something for sustainability, it takes time.”
The Tigers finished the season 5-6, an upgrade from their 3-8 record last year. They had a signature 35-20 victory over Prairie View A&M, who is currently vying for a SWAC Championship. They almost had another big win the week after against Alcorn State, but they fell short. Jackson believed the loss to Alcorn derailed their season for a little while.
“There was a huge game we lost down in Alcorn,24-25, where I know for a fact, it was showed to me, that there was a call that could've changed the whole season. You lose that game, and it created to me, you know, all of a sudden the team felt a little differently and we went backwards after that a little bit. I think we started to grab ourselves back: you saw a new quarterback come in, you saw new players come in.”
As for the future, Jackson is more than willing to go back into coaching.
“This is what I do,” he said.
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