Prairie View A&M Looks to Build on Terrific 2025 Season

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 13: Lamagea McDowell #23 of the Prairie View A&M Panthers runs the ball against the South Carolina State Bulldogs at the 2025 Cricket Celebration Bowl during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) | Getty Images It didn’t take long for folks in Prairie View to realize that the Tremaine Jackson hire was a home run for their football team. In fact, it took less than a year.

Jackson, who came in after leading Division II’s Valdosta State to the national championship game just one season prior, took a Panthers team that finished with a losing record in 2024 and got them to the doorstep of their first HBCU national championship in over 60 years. It took four overtimes for SC State to eventually top Prairie View A&M in the Celebration Bowl last December and rob them of that feat. With Jackson entering Year Two, however, it seems like a pretty safe bet to say these Panthers aren’t going anywhere.

After finishing with ten wins (the first time since 1963) and a conference title, PVAM is re-writing itself as a team to beat in the SWAC. Just how good can they be in 2026, though, and can this be the season that they finally get over that last hurdle in their quest for a ring? Consistency will be key in that quest and it is something the Panthers should have a fair amount of heading into this Spring, starting with the coaching staff.

Not only is Jackson back but so are several key members of his staff from a season ago. Co-defensive coordinators Trent Earley and Brandon Anderson both return as does offensive coordinator Christopher Buckner. Earley and Anderson orchestrated a unit that held opponents to under 18 points and an FCS-low 139.