Tremaine Jackson: Changing The Panthers' Culture From The Portal To The Gridiron

HOUSTON — The culture change with the Prairie View Panthers football team is starting to take root on The Hill. New PV head football coach Tremaine Jackson told HBCU Legends, “One thing about players, man, whether it’s going good or going bad, they always know the real.”

Today marks the opening of the NCAA transfer portal for Spring 2025, which will be very active today for Prairie View A&M and other HBCU football teams. Being the straight-shooter he is, Coach Jackson posted the Panthers Portal Rules for prospective players.

1. When I follow you, there’s a 4-hour window to follow back, or we’re done.
2. Send your number, transcripts and hilite in the first message!
3. Make sure you address my staff as “Coach” and not “Bro” or by First/Last Name!
4. Don’t ask me for NIL (which we do have) when PFF has you as taking less than 200 snaps on the year.  You should’ve gotten your 💰 from them, now its time to play!!
5. Pray, talk to your family, gf, dog and any other people before we offer you, not after you take 80 visits! I’m going to want to know ASAP!!

We look forward to speaking with you soon!! Go Panthers!! #WTW

“I’ll be honest with you,” Coach Jackson explained about his coaching style. “I’m no better football coach than anybody else. I got a lot of respect for people that sit in these chairs of head coaches and are responsible for these programs. And so I don’t know why the energy is different, but I will tell you, Tremaine Jackson is not for everybody.”

Several former Panthers recently announced their intention to transfer on social media before the portal re-opened. The exits were expected, according to Coach Jackson.  “When there’s two people that have been successful, they know what success looks like, and they know that the road to success.  But when you’ve never been successful, you really don’t know, and you know it’s going to cost you.”

Jackson further noted, “If the program’s foundation is right. The next person can build off of it, and the program will always be known for winning instead of being known for being 0 and 80. Instead of being known for being mediocre.”

Former PVAMU head coach Bubba McDowell left Coach Jackson with a program that has competed and won the SWAC West title in the past three seasons. Athletic director Anton Goff believed the football program needed a new voice for the 2025 season and hired Jackson to be that person. How will he establish a foundation at PV?

For the Houston native, he says, “To be a Prairie View A&M Panther, we have a dogmatic mindset.   We’re bringing a level of discipline, a level of obedience, and a level of grit that not only this place hadn’t seen, a lot of people haven’t seen.  And what I mean by that is everybody thinks we’re always just talking to the players. All the players need to be more disciplined. You, as a fan, need to be more disciplined. You need to come in the game and stay the whole four quarters. The the fans got to be more disciplined. The donors have to be more disciplined and not donate with the intent to control. So everybody has to be more disciplined. It’s not just a player problem. It’s a bottom-up problem. Right? Like, it’s everybody.”

Jackson will have a preview of the team in his first Spring Game at Panther Stadium at 1 PM CT on Saturday, Apr. 19, in Prairie View, Texas. HBCU Legends will be covering the event.