Donte’ Jackson became the 11th head coach in Alabama A&M University men’s basketball history on April 3, 2025, bringing with him a proven track record of success at the Division I and Division II levels. He arrived in Huntsville after eight seasons as head coach at Grambling State University, where he built the Tigers into a Southwestern Athletic Conference contender. Jackson guided Grambling State to the 2024 SWAC Tournament Championship and the program’s first-ever NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament victory, defeating Montana State in the First Four. During his tenure, Grambling captured multiple SWAC regular-season titles, including a historic 24-9 campaign in 2022-23, highlighted by wins over Colorado and Vanderbilt. Jackson earned multiple Coach of the Year honors, including SWAC Coach of the Year and the prestigious Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year award.
Prior to Grambling, Jackson served as head coach at Stillman College, where he led the program to a 27-6 record, a 2016 SIAC Championship, and an NCAA Tournament berth, earning SIAC Coach of the Year and BOXTOROW National Coach of the Year honors. He also spent four seasons as head coach at Central State University after seven years as an assistant, compiling a 68-42 record. A Milwaukee native, Jackson was a standout player at Central State, earning all-conference and all-region honors and leading the team to an NAIA Sweet Sixteen appearance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Central State.
