VALDOSTA — Third-year Valdosta State head football coach Tremaine Jackson broke barriers during the 2023 Blazer football season as he was the only African American head football coach to win a conference championship in any division aside from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). On top of that, Jackson was the first African American coach to win the Gulf South Conference in the league’s history.
“It provides hope,” said Jackson.
This past summer, Jackson participated in the Bill Walsh Fellowship with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The fellowship is an educational experience designed to give minority coaches at all levels an opportunity to observe, participate, gain experience, and ultimately gain a full-time NFL coaching position (operations.nfl.com). Jackson had the unique opportunity of shadowing Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. When looking back, he learned a lot in his short time in with Tomlin.
“I think when you got a chance to be in a room with a guy like Mike Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in the National Football League, the longest tenured head coach in the league, it was special,” said Jackson. “To see how he deals with men, he deals with men the way you deal with men. If they are wrong, he tells them they are wrong.”
Jackson became the first African American head coach and 11th overall in Valdosta State football history on Jan. 3, 2022. Things got off to a rocky start in 2022 as the Blazers mustered a 5-6 record in Jackson’s first season. However, his sophomore season in 2023 bore a historic 12-2 campaign which has the Blazers trending up with higher hopes and aspirations in the coming year.
Entering his second season in Titletown, Jackson did not listen to all the outside noise as his somewhat disappointing first season left the fans wondering what his future in Titletown held.
Jackson knew that 2022 was going to be tough and initially had doubts.
“In 2022, I sat at my desk, and opened up the books and I went, ‘Man, I took the wrong job,'” added Jackson.
Jackson did not realize how many people were gone from the previous team that went 12-2 and made it all the way to the National Championship before eventually falling to Ferris State.
“I knew 2022 was a chance to establish what we deem as the culture of our program,” said Jackson.
The 2022 season had ups and downs, like nearly defeating No. 8 West Florida in overtime but also allowing 70 points to No. 21 Delta State in a blowout loss.
Coming into the 2023 season, Jackson had a key goal in mind: making the playoff.
“All I wanted to do was make the playoff,” said Jackson. “I didn’t care what our record was. Whatever we’ve got to be, at least No. 7 in the region at the end of the season to make the playoffs, is what I wanted to be.”
The Valdosta State football team started out hot, going 5-0 as it beat Point, Albany State, Keiser, North Greenville, and Chowan. With an undefeated record, the team gained confidence, found itself at No. 19 in the country and really felt like it could achieve something special this year.
The next game was the biggest one all season, as Valdosta State welcomed No. 8 Delta State for the annual Pink-Out game. In front of a loud Blazer crowd, the Blazers fell flat, losing 49-25.
“After we lost to Delta State, we played this song by Fantasia called ‘Lose to Win,'” added Jackson. “The coaching staff played that song around the football facility on Sunday to show the players that while losing is not ok, sometimes losing provides opportunities to learn, grow and adapt.”
Following that game, Jackson changed defensive schemes, which is something that most people didn’t know about and is very uncommon.
“We played the back eight games different on defense than we played the front six, but the mentality really changed,” Jackson said.
As a unit, the Blazers decided to fight their tails off “in spite of.” Valdosta State won its next two games before the next big test – a road game at the defending Gulf South Conference champion and 2022 NCAA National Semifinalist No. 8 West Florida.
Going into the clash with the Argonauts, the Blazers knew this was going to be a hostile environment against a team that had beaten VSU three straight times and ripped their hearts out the previous season.
With 42 seconds remaining, and down by four, junior quarterback Sammy Edwards connected with sophomore receiver Ted Hurst over the middle for a 28-yard touchdown to secure the 31-28 upset win over West Florida.
In the matchup, Valdosta State went 0-10 on third down and had negative three rushing yards. Jackson knew that game was a turning point in the season.
“Statistically, we got drug, but we won the game,” said Jackson. “We had a little destiny on our side, too.”
Following the thrilling victory, the Blazers had one more road game for the regular season in Livingston, Alabama versus West Alabama. In a messy game that featured a muffed extra point and two missed kicks, Valdosta State came out on top 20-14 over the Tigers … in spite of.
“This team really surprised me because they took the mentality,” explained Jackson.
Heading into the final regular season game, Valdosta State was set to host in-state rival West Georgia for one last game in the Red Clay Rivalry. The goal was simple: to take home the Peach Basket for good before the Wolves made the transition to Division I next season. In a one-sided contest, VSU ran over UWG, 58-28, to claim the Peach Basket once and for all on Senior Night in the historic Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.
Valdosta State was now looking ahead to the playoff, where they drew a three seed for the South Region. With the playoff matchups drawn up, the Blazers began prepping for a home game versus Limestone in Titletown. In a postseason matchup that featured a playoff record six passing touchdowns by Edwards, Jackson earned his first postseason victory as head coach of the Blazers in a 62-41 slugfest against the Saints.
In the second round, the Blazers were forced to hit the road, and this time it was against a familiar foe in the co-GSC champions and No. 2-seeded Delta State Statesmen. Jackson and his squad were looking to avenge their haunting loss back in October by taking the fight to the No. 8 team in the nation.
In a matchup that featured the Blazers in the driver’s seat for most of the afternoon, Jackson and his team were all knotted up at 31-31 with possession of the ball on the Delta State 47-yard line with 43 seconds left in regulation. Jackson and his coaching staff put the ball in quarterback Edwards’ hands, who picked apart the Statesmen defense, hitting graduate student receiver B.K. Smith for a 24-yard score with nine ticks left on the clock to stun DSU in a 38-31 thriller.
VSU moved on in the postseason, which saw the Blazers return to Valdosta to host the No. 4-seeded Bears of Lenoir Rhyne. In a game that featured monsoon-like conditions against a team that had a power running scheme, the Blazers fell short in the NCAA Quarterfinal against the Bears to a final score of 35-7.
Jackson finished the 2023 season with a 12-2 overall record, a share of the GSC title, and an appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Like Jackson said earlier, “I just wanted to get to the playoff.”
With the 2024 season looming closer and closer, Jackson and the Blazers have higher goals and aspirations within the coming year.