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Tremaine Jackson keeps it real on Prairie View A&M following SWAC Championship
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- Tremaine Jackson keeps it real on Prairie View A&M following SWAC Championship
Tremaine Jackson keeps it real on Prairie View A&M following SWAC Championship appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson isn't interested in talking about defending a championship. Instead, he's making it clear that the Panthers are starting over as they prepare for the 2026 season.
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Speaking with HBCU Sports during SWAC Media Day, Jackson emphasized that last year's accomplishments won't guarantee anything this fall.
"There's no defending this title," Jackson told HBCU Sports. "What last year's team did was incredible, but this team hasn't done anything. We haven't even made a first down yet."
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Rather than dwelling on the program's first SWAC championship in more than a decade, Jackson said the Panthers are approaching preseason camp with the mindset that every player has to earn the next accomplishment.
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"We're starting from ground zero," Jackson added. "We're trying to get it out the mud and figure out who this team is going to be."
Despite resetting expectations internally, Jackson made it clear the program's ultimate goal has not changed.
"If we don't get the confetti falling on us in Atlanta on December 12, then it's a bad year," he said. "That's the mentality."
Jackson has quickly transformed Prairie View A&M since arriving ahead of the 2025 season. One of the most sought-after coaches during the 2024 hiring cycle, Jackson spent three seasons at Valdosta State, leading the Blazers to two NCAA Division II playoff appearances. In his final season, he guided Valdosta State to the NCAA Division II national championship game.
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He carried that momentum to Prairie View A&M, where the Panthers exceeded expectations in his first season. Prairie View captured the SWAC West Division title before upsetting defending conference champion Jackson State to win the program's first SWAC championship since 2009 and earn a berth in the Cricket Celebration Bowl.
While the championship represented a major milestone, Prairie View's season ended in heartbreaking fashion. After building a 21-0 halftime lead against South Carolina State , the Panthers fell 40-38 in four overtimes. That loss has become the foundation of the program's offseason message.
Jackson said earlier in the offseason that Prairie View has adopted the mantra "Finish the Fight" as it prepares for 2026, using the Celebration Bowl defeat as motivation to complete the job should the Panthers find themselves back on college football's biggest HBCU stage.
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