Donte Jackson Officially Introduced As Head Basketball Coach At Alabama A&M

The Bulldogs bring in the former SWAC Coach of the Year to fill the vacancy left by Coach Hughley after his resignation.

Donte Jackson - AAMU Head Basketball Coach | Credit: AAMU Athletics

Alabama A&M athletic director Dr. Paul A. Bryant officially introduced Donte' Jackson as the Bulldogs' new head men's basketball coach on Thursday afternoon at the AAMU Event Center in Huntsville, Alabama.   

Jackson, 46, has a winning record of 263-185 in his 15-yard head coaching career at Stillman College and Grambling State. He has won three Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Coach of the Year awards while guiding Grambling State to three regular-season conference titles in eight seasons.  

In 2024, the Tigers earned a trip to the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, where they defeated Montana State 88-81 in the First Four Play-In game.

Jackson takes the helm of the Bulldogs basketball program, which went 10-22 in the overall record last season under Coach Hughley. 

At the press conference, Dr. Daniel K. Wims, Alabama A&M University President, and Dr. Paul Bryant, the Director of Athletics, shared their enthusiasm for hiring Donte' Jackson. Dr. Bryant hired Jackson at Stillman College, Grambling State, and now at Alabama A&M.  

"Third time's the charm. He hired me at Stillman. He hired me at Grambling, and now he has brought me to The Hill. Dr. Bryant has been a pivotal person in my life, just me and my development," Jackson said.

Bryant also highlighted Jackson's impressive track record and commitment to building championship-level programs.  

For Coach Jackson, he's ready to lead the Bulldogs to new heights on The Hill.

Donte' Jackson Takes The Helm At Alabama A&M | Alabama A&M Athletics

KEY QUOTES

Donte' Jackson - Head Coach

"I look forward to spending a lot of time with you and just seeing your vision so I can duplicate it, and we can take this to the next level."

"In life, we all need that one person, that one person that believes in you, that gives you a chance to show your talents and show what you can do, and he's been that one believer for me."

"Thank you to my wife, my kids, and my family. Thank you for being my biggest supporter. Thank you for being my biggest fan."

"My wife and myself needed a change of scenery. After a lot of deep, thoughtful discussions, tough conversations, we decided to hit the reset button. We needed the opportunity to refocus for our purpose, refocus to build a brand new program into a championship contender. And we just needed to change the scenery."

"We are serious about that classroom. The majority of the time, I deal with 90% African American men, and my graduation rate is 95% percent."

"Recruiting is our lifeline. Recruiting is the lifeline to any great athletic program."

Dr. Paul A. Bryant - Athletic Director

"This process was a focused national search. We had to make sure that we got the best candidate that fit Alabama A&M University. I think we did."

"Donte's history, you heard it a little bit from the president. He played at Central State in the great state of Ohio. He went from a player to assistant coach at Central State, and then he became the head coach. He was one of the youngest head coaches in the country."

Dr. Daniel K. Wims - President

"Thank you to this wonderful great coach for joining us."

"These three personalities should work together to build the best department in the Southwestern Athletic Conference," on his new head coaches for the women's and men's basketball and football teams.

As of today, it's the Donte' Jackson Era on The Hill in Huntsville!

HBCU BASKETBALL | Alabama A&M | Donte Jackson | College Basketall | SWAC Basketball

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Additional coverage of the AAMU Coach Search

Donte Jackson Reportedly Will Become Alabama A&M's New Head Basketball Coach

Alabama A&M's director of athletics, Dr. Paul A. Byrant, is reportedly expected to announce Donte' Jackson as the new head basketball coach of the Bulldogs, reported by HBCU Sports on X.com.  The official announcement will be streamed on AAMU Athletics website at 3:50 PM CT on Thursday, Apr. 3. 

The former Grambling State coach will fill the vacancy after the resignation of previous head coach Otis Hughley. He leaves GSU with a 129-122 (.514) record and a 255-185 (.580) overall head coaching record.  

The Bulldogs basketball program will get a successful leader who earned three SWAC regular season titles since 2017, led the G-Men to the most wins in a season (24), and the SWAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship in 2024.  

Nov 11, 2024; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Grambling State Tigers head coach Donte' Jackson and Grambling State Tigers guard Mikale Stevenson (2) gesture against the Florida Gators during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

That same season, he led GSU to the NCAA Men's Tournament, where the Tigers defeated Montana State 88-81 in the NCAA First Four contest. They fell in the opening round to No. 1 Purdue, 78-50.

Jackson has been honored as a 3x SWAC Coach of the Year, NABC District 23 Coach of the Year, and 2x Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year.

Grambling State signed Jackson to a contract extension through 2029 on Jun. 14, 2024.

Jackson will inherit a basketball program with a 10-22 overall record while going 6-12 in the SWAC during the 2024-25 season under Coach Hughley. In 2023-24, Alabama A&M went 12-23 overall and 9-9 in SWAC action. Several of the Bulldogs star players have reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal.

Jackson, 46, played his collegiate basketball at Central State and Milwaukee. He is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Donte Jackson's Coaching Career

2003–2010 Central State (assistant)

2010–2014 Central State

2014–2017 Stillman

2017–2025 Grambling State

2025-present Alabama A&M

Donte Jackson's Achievements

• SWAC tournament (2024)
• 3x SWAC regular season (2018, 2023, 2024)
• Awards
• 2x Ben Jobe Award (2018, 2024)
• 3× SWAC Coach of the Year (2018, 2023, 2024)

Tournament Records

1–1 (NCAA Division I)

1–1 (NCAA Division II)

0–1 (CIT)

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