University of Tennessee Athletics
Football
Andrew Jackson
- Title:
- LEOs
updated summer 2026
Andrew Jackson joins the Tennessee Volunteers as the LEOs position coach in 2026. He was officially named to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' staff on Jan. 2.
Jackson owns 13 years of defensive line coaching experience. He spent the 2025 campaign with Knowles as the assistant defensive line coach at Penn State. He was previously the defensive line coach at West Virginia for four seasons from 2021-24 where he was instrumental in developing one of the top units in the Big 12.
In 2023, Jackson’s defensive line spearheaded a group that ranked first in the Big 12 and 19th in Power Five in sacks (33). The defense produced 84 tackles for loss (6.5 per game), ranking second in the Big 12 and tied for 14th among Power Five schools. The defensive line was responsible for 16 sacks and 37 tackles for loss.
From 2021-22, Jackson mentored Dante Stills, who was invited to the 2023 NFL Combine and then selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Stills finished as the school’s all-time leader in games played (59) and tackles for loss (52.5), and he was fourth in sacks (23.5). He finished his career earning All-Big 12 Conference First Team honors twice (2021, ’22) under Jackson.
In 2021, West Virginia’s defensive line tallied 20.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss, which ranked top 40 nationally. Taijh Alston was named one of the Mayo Clinic semifinalists for Comeback Player of the Year. Jordan Jefferson was named an All-Big 12 Third-Team honoree by PFF College, and Akheem Mesidor was named an All-Big 12 Third-Team selection by Phil Steele.
Jackson also coached the defensive line at Old Dominion (2020) and Fordham (2017). He was the defensive tackles coach at James Madison in 2019 when they led the FCS in total defense and ranked third in scoring defense en route to the FCS National Championship Game.
Jackson was a defensive analyst at Mississippi State in 2018 when the Bulldogs led the nation in total defense (263.1) and were ignited by future NFL defensive line stars and first-team All-SEC players Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat. That squad earned a berth to the Outback Bowl following an eight-win regular season. Simmons and Sweat were both selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft with Simmons going No. 19 overall to the Tennessee Titans and Sweat going No. 26 overall to Washington.
Prior to that, Jackson was a graduate assistant with the defensive line for two years at Penn State (2015-16). Two players he worked with earned All-America status in Carl Nassib and consensus Anthony Zettel. Nassib was the Big Ten’s Bronko Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and was the Hendricks Award and Lombardi Award winner. The 2016 Nittany Lions defeated No. 6 Wisconsin to win the Big Ten and advance to the Rose Bowl. Defensive tackle Austin Johnson was then selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
Jackson spent two years as an assistant coach at Stony Brook (2013-14), first as a graduate assistant and then as assistant defensive line coach. One of his players, Aaron Thompson went on to rank among the top 10 nationally in sacks and was All-CAA First Team.
Jackson started his coaching career at LIU Post as a graduate assistant in 2013.
Jackson was a three-year captain and three-year starter on the defensive line for LIU Post. He was an All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Second Team honoree as a senior after recording five sacks and 12 tackles for loss for the Pioneers. He was a member of the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society and was awarded two of the athletics department’s most prestigious honors, the Christine Webb Award and the Roy Illowit Award.
Jackson earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education science and coaching from Long Island University in 2011 and three master’s degrees, one in Interdisciplinary studies from Long Island in 2012, liberal arts and science from Stony Brook in 2014 and educational leadership from Penn State in 2017.
He and his wife, Blair, have a two-year-old daughter, Naomi, and a one-year-old boy, Quincy.
Andrew Jackson joins the Tennessee Volunteers as the LEOs position coach in 2026. He was officially named to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' staff on Jan. 2.
Jackson owns 13 years of defensive line coaching experience. He spent the 2025 campaign with Knowles as the assistant defensive line coach at Penn State. He was previously the defensive line coach at West Virginia for four seasons from 2021-24 where he was instrumental in developing one of the top units in the Big 12.
In 2023, Jackson’s defensive line spearheaded a group that ranked first in the Big 12 and 19th in Power Five in sacks (33). The defense produced 84 tackles for loss (6.5 per game), ranking second in the Big 12 and tied for 14th among Power Five schools. The defensive line was responsible for 16 sacks and 37 tackles for loss.
From 2021-22, Jackson mentored Dante Stills, who was invited to the 2023 NFL Combine and then selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Stills finished as the school’s all-time leader in games played (59) and tackles for loss (52.5), and he was fourth in sacks (23.5). He finished his career earning All-Big 12 Conference First Team honors twice (2021, ’22) under Jackson.
In 2021, West Virginia’s defensive line tallied 20.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss, which ranked top 40 nationally. Taijh Alston was named one of the Mayo Clinic semifinalists for Comeback Player of the Year. Jordan Jefferson was named an All-Big 12 Third-Team honoree by PFF College, and Akheem Mesidor was named an All-Big 12 Third-Team selection by Phil Steele.
Jackson also coached the defensive line at Old Dominion (2020) and Fordham (2017). He was the defensive tackles coach at James Madison in 2019 when they led the FCS in total defense and ranked third in scoring defense en route to the FCS National Championship Game.
Jackson was a defensive analyst at Mississippi State in 2018 when the Bulldogs led the nation in total defense (263.1) and were ignited by future NFL defensive line stars and first-team All-SEC players Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat. That squad earned a berth to the Outback Bowl following an eight-win regular season. Simmons and Sweat were both selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft with Simmons going No. 19 overall to the Tennessee Titans and Sweat going No. 26 overall to Washington.
Prior to that, Jackson was a graduate assistant with the defensive line for two years at Penn State (2015-16). Two players he worked with earned All-America status in Carl Nassib and consensus Anthony Zettel. Nassib was the Big Ten’s Bronko Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and was the Hendricks Award and Lombardi Award winner. The 2016 Nittany Lions defeated No. 6 Wisconsin to win the Big Ten and advance to the Rose Bowl. Defensive tackle Austin Johnson was then selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
Jackson spent two years as an assistant coach at Stony Brook (2013-14), first as a graduate assistant and then as assistant defensive line coach. One of his players, Aaron Thompson went on to rank among the top 10 nationally in sacks and was All-CAA First Team.
Jackson started his coaching career at LIU Post as a graduate assistant in 2013.
Jackson was a three-year captain and three-year starter on the defensive line for LIU Post. He was an All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Second Team honoree as a senior after recording five sacks and 12 tackles for loss for the Pioneers. He was a member of the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society and was awarded two of the athletics department’s most prestigious honors, the Christine Webb Award and the Roy Illowit Award.
Jackson earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education science and coaching from Long Island University in 2011 and three master’s degrees, one in Interdisciplinary studies from Long Island in 2012, liberal arts and science from Stony Brook in 2014 and educational leadership from Penn State in 2017.
He and his wife, Blair, have a two-year-old daughter, Naomi, and a one-year-old boy, Quincy.
Wednesday, May 27
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
