Filling out an on-field coaching staff is a huge part of a head coach’s job in college football. But it’s become almost just as important to assemble a strong off-field support staff over the last few years, and Jeremy Pruitt has tried to do that since coming to Tennessee.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban really popularized bringing on big names as offensive and defensive analysts in off-field support roles, and Pruitt has embraced that at UT. A number of notable coaches have served in quality control or analyst roles under Pruitt, and a former SEC offensive lineman is the newest name to join Pruitt’s Tennessee staff.
According to his Twitter account, Alex Jackson is leaving his role as the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) to serve as an offensive analyst and assistant offensive line coach at Tennessee.
— Alex Jackson (@Coach_Ajax) July 2, 2020
Jackson was brought on as FAMU’s offensive coordinator and OL coach in January of 2018 and moved into the co-OC role this past offseason. But instead of serving in that position, Jackson will now be part of Tennessee’s off-field staff.
The former Georgia Bulldog offensive lineman has served in a variety of offensive capacities at a number of schools in his coaching career. Before joining FAMU in 2018, Jackson was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Prairie View A&M from 2015-17. Prior to that, Jackson was an offensive quality control coach for Georgia in 2014.
Jackson has also been the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Mississippi Valley State (2012-14) and was an offensive intern and assistant offensive line coach at Arkansas (2010-11). He also served as Langston University’s tight ends and tackles coach before moving into a role as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
Jackson also has high school football experience, serving as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at East Gadsden High School in Florida in the 2004, 2008, and 2009 seasons.
As a player, Jackson was a two-year starter for the Georgia Bulldogs along the offensive line in the 2001 and 2002 seasons. He signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL in 2003 before an injury cut his career short. He returned to UGA in 2005 as a student assistant.
Jackson joins former Vol linebacker Kevin Simon, former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long, former UTC and Florida State assistant Jeremiah Wilson, and others as quality control analysts on Pruitt’s staff. Tennessee’s off-field roles also include Patrick Abernathy and Kerry Stevenson as Director of Player Development, Danny Stiff as Director of Player Personnel, Andrew Warsaw as Director of Football Operations, and Todd Watson as Director of Football Programming.
