South Dakota State has completed its revamped football coaching staff by hiring Isaiah Jackson to oversee the special teams. Head coach Dan Jackson made the announcement on Saturday.
“Isaiah is part of our football family and I’ve been impressed with his development throughout his career,” said Dan Jackson. “I was particularly impressed with how his units performed last year. He’s someone who can cultivate a strong culture within the special teams and build great relationships across the team.”
Isaiah Jackson returns to Brookings, hailing from Chandler, Arizona, where he played linebacker for the Jackrabbits from 2006 to 2009. He finished fifth on the team with 63 tackles in 2008 and tied for seventh with 52 tackles as a senior in 2009, during which the Jackrabbits reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time.
For the last eight years, Jackson has been on the coaching staff at UC Davis, helping the team secure a Big Sky Conference championship in 2018 and participate in the FCS playoffs three times (2018, 2021, 2024). He initially coached linebackers before transitioning to special teams coordinator in 2024.
Jackson began his coaching journey at the University of Sioux Falls, serving as a graduate assistant linebackers coach during the Cougars’ 2010 NAIA national championship season, and then spent three more years coaching the defensive line. He later moved to West Virginia State, where he coached special teams, linebackers, and the defensive line from 2014 to 2016. He also had two stints with the International Federation of American Football, helping lead the American National Football Team at the 2015 IFAF World Championship.
Additionally, Jackson took part in the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship with the Arizona Cardinals in the summer of 2022.
Earlier in the week, SDSU announced other additions to its football coaching staff, including offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Eric Eidsness and defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brian Bergstrom.
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