Grambling State University named co-offensive coordinator John Simon interim head coach of the Tigers football program on Tuesday after firing head football coach Hue Jackson following two losing seasons.
Co-Offensive Coordinator John Simon Jr. has been named the Interim Head Coach of Grambling State Football#GramFam
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— Grambling State Football
The athletic department will begin a national search for Jackson’s permanent successor immediately. Jackson, the former coach of the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns, finished his tenure at Grambling State with an 8-14 overall record and a 6-10 Southwestern Athletic Conference record. Jackson’s dismissal comes just three days after Southern University defeated Grambling State 27-22 on Nov. 25 in the Bayou Classic, the Tigers’ second consecutive loss in the annual matchup.
“We want to thank Coach Jackson on his contributions to the GSU football program. We wish him well in all his future endeavors,” Grambling State athletic director Trayvean Scott said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision to make but one that we felt was necessary to move our program forward. The goal at GSU is to compete for championships every year. As we move forward, we will be intentional in finding the right person to lead this program back to its rightful place as one of the top programs in the country.”
Scott also announced the firings of defensive coordinator Cedric Thornton, special teams analyst Jamar Harp, defensive line coach Ken Delgado, safeties coach Dedrick Dodge and special teams coach Chris Scott.
Grambling State is the third SWAC school to fire its head football coach this season. Southern University fired Eric Dooley on Nov. 14, and Texas Southern University said last week that it will not renew Clarence McKinney’s contract when it expires Dec. 15.
Potential Jackson replacements
Eric Dooley. After being fired from Southern two weeks ago, it wouldn’t be a far journey for Dooley to coach at intrastate rival Grambling. Dooley is an experienced coach in the SWAC. He is a former Grambling player, having played under legendary coach Eddie Robinson, and he spent four seasons at Grambling State as offensive coordinator (2014-2017).
In his last three seasons in the SWAC, Dooley has two SWAC Championship appearances and a Bayou Classic win – two things Grambling fans and alumni want.
Chennis Berry. Benedict College’s head coach is no stranger to the SWAC. Berry spent seven seasons under Dawson Odums at Southern as an offensive line coach and eventually as an offensive coordinator for the Jaguars. He is very familiar with recruiting in the Bayou. At Benedict, Berry managed to turn the program around, posting a combined record of 22-2 and two Division II playoff appearances over the last two seasons.
Berry’s name has been linked to high-profile coaching vacancies at Southern and South Carolina State, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Grambling to try to compete for his services as well.
John Simon. After Grambling State’s athletic director elevated Simon to interim head coach on Tuesday, he could decide to make Simon the program’s next permanent head coach. Simon is Louisiana born-and-raised, and he has some experience in the Power 5 as a running backs coach for Arizona State University. However, he has no Division I head coaching experience.
As a holdover from Jackson’s coaching staff, Simon is familiar with all of the current Grambling State recruits and could maintain the program by keeping talented players such as freshman Javon Robinson and redshirt junior Myles Crawley from the transfer portal.
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