Former Browns and Raiders coach Hue Jackson named head coach at Grambling State
Former Browns and Raiders head coach Hue Jackson is the new coach at Grambling State.
Grambling State announced Friday that Jackson would take over as the team’s head coach. Jackson, a longtime NFL coach, spent the 2021 season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State.
It’s official Grambling State University announces 14th head coach @huejack10. Welcome to the G! #ThisIsTheG #HueNation #Exit81 pic.twitter.com/Gvo0Uop7Ei
— GSU_Tigers (@GSU_TIGERS) December 10, 2021
Jackson replaces Broderick Fobbs at GSU. Fobbs was fired 10 games into the 2021 season as Grambling State went 4-7.
Jackson was out of football in 2019 and 2020 after he finished the 2018 season as as special assistant to Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati. Jackson was hired by Lewis after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns.
Those Browns teams were miserable during Jackson's tenure. Cleveland went 1-15 in his first season in 2016 and then became just the second team in NFL history to go winless in a season in 2017 with an 0-16 record.
Cleveland was 2-5-1 in 2018 when Jackson was fired as the team’s head coach. The Browns were 0-20 on the road in his tenure with the organization.
Jackson’s stint in Cleveland came after he spent one season as the Oakland Raiders’ head coach in 2011. The Raiders were 8-8 in 2011 after starting the season 7-4 and Jackson was fired by incoming general manager Reggie McKenzie.
Grambling State will be the 14th school or professional football team that Jackson has coached for since he started as a graduate assistant at Pacific in 1987. Jackson spent time at Arizona State, Cal and USC before moving to the NFL and the Washington Football team in 2001. He’s served as an offensive coordinator for Washington, Atlanta, Oakland and Cincinnati.
While Jackson's NFL coaching record may not be spectacular, his hire is undoubtedly a boost for the Southwestern Athletic Conference and HBCU football. The conference now counts Jackson and Jackson State coach Deion Sanders among its head coaches and Sanders' arrival has done wonders for Jackson State. JSU is 11-1 in 2021 and won the conference. JSU will play South Carolina State on Dec. 18 in the Celebration Bowl.
