Grambling State Hires Hue Jackson As HC

Hue Jackson once again finds himself as a head coach. Hired as Tennessee State’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach back in April, Jackson has agreed to a four-year contract to become HC of Grambling State, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter).

The 56-year-old worked under head coach Eddie George at Tennessee State. Though the FCS squad finished the 2021 season with a 5-6 record, Grambling State — one of the country’s highest-profile HBCU programs — is willing to take a chance on a man who has NFL head coaching experience and who was at one time considered one of the game’s sharpest offensive minds.

Of course, Jackson’s most recent HC gig in the NFL didn’t exactly go according to plan. Over two-and-a-half seasons as the Browns’ sideline general, he posted a 3-36-1 record, though he later claimed that the organization set him up for failure. Regardless of the veracity of that claim, Jackson now has a good opportunity for some measure of redemption.

He was not, however, Grambling State’s first choice. As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, the school first offered the position to Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, who has worked on the Bills’ coaching staff and who is presently serving as the chief of staff for the University of Miami football program.

Given Miami’s recent upheaval — the Hurricanes just hired a new head coach and athletic director, a process that Reed was obviously deeply involved in — Reed declined the offer. La Canfora’s report also indicated that the timing was not right for Reed and his family, but Reed did seriously consider the proposal and is interested in a head coaching post down the road.