Tremaine Jackson was named the Defensive Coordinator for the USF Cougars shortly after the dismissal of the 2013 USF Defensive Coordinator Robert Tucker. "Tuck" had led the defense for only one year, but the young defense struggled and had 3 games in which the opponent scored over 40 points. The defense also didn't have a strong season creating takeaways.

The USF Defense had always been a strong point for a program that's rich in championship tradition. With that, comes a change. In steps Tremaine Jackson, a former Defensive Coordinator at Evangel (NAIA) and Defensive Line Coach at Texas Southern (FCS). Tremaine was hired in 2013 to be the Defensive Line Coach for USF, and then was promoted to Defense Coordinator shortly after the end of the 2013 season.


MW: Coach, thanks for taking the time for meeting with me. You are from Houston, Texas. This winter weather has to be brutal on you, no?
Coach Jackson: It's a change for sure, but Sioux Falls is a really nice community and a great place for my wife and daughter. We really like it here and Coach Stugart is a special man, I'm very pleased to be working with a Head Coach that has his passion.

MW: There have been a few coaching changes at USF other than just yourself. In fact just today I saw online that Cesar Rivas (LB/DB Coach) is heading back to California to a job at Azusa Pacific. Most already know of Dusty Hovorka taking over the OC job from Ryan Grubb who's now at Eastern Michigan, but in addition to that you have a new Offensive Line Coach in Ben Blake and a new Tight Ends Coach in Josh Breske.
Coach Jackson: Yup. Cesar is going back to California and Eric Inama is coming back to USF after being the Defensive Coordinator at Midland (NAIA) for the last few years. I can tell you that Ben Blake and I coached together at Evangel and he's a very good coach. It's funny, we didn't like each other at first. I told him before a Spring Game that the defense was going to get 6 sacks, and he didn't appreciate that comment very much (laughing). So for a short time we were at odds, but then we gained a mutual respect for each other and have become pretty close since that time. He's a real good coach and when the offensive line position came open I told Jed that he was a great fit for us.


(Ben Blake)

MW: Evangel had a pretty solid year when you guys were there together if I recall correct, being in the playoff chase until 2 late losses at the end of the year.
Coach Jackson: Yes, exactly. We had Missouri Valley down 14 and they came back and beat us, and then MNU really took it to us in the final game. We had a good year in 2012 though, best the school had seen in a while.

MW: Ok Coach, about a month ago at the signing day meeting held in the football locker room you were asked to speak a bit about the defense. You mentioned that you were looking to switch to a 4-3 scheme. I have to be honest, this caught me by surprise. USF switched from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 scheme under Coach Chuck Morrell before the start of the 2006 season, seemingly because of the amount of good athletes the Coo had at linebacker that year. It was a success and USF won an NAIA National Title that year, and then 2 more in 2008 and 2009. What's the reason for the switch?
Coach Jackson: We are up here in the North and this is a running league. Teams up here like to play power football and we think that a 4-3 gives us a better chance at stopping the run at all costs. We noticed that there were times when a 4-3 could've been better for us at stopping the inside running game. Take a look around at some of the best teams in this league at shutting down the running game, Augie and Mankato, both have big tackles that can hold their ground and 4 down lineman to slow things down. We also feel that if we are going to bring 4 men at the passer, why not have it be 4 lineman as well.

MW: You mentioned that last year you allowed the opposing offense to dictate the game. You then said that in 2014 that wasn't going to be the case, and you guys were going to take the game to the offense a bit more. This was easily the biggest 'pop' of the night, meaning the supporters in the room just about gave you a standing ovation for that comment itself. HAHA. Did you expect that type of respsonse?
Coach Jackson: HAHA. I didn't even realize it really. One of the other coaches mentioned something about that later. But yes, last year we didn't attack enough. This year we are going to put pressure on the offense. We have a mantra with this defense we are going to play. We are going to play at 212 degrees. At 211 degrees water is hot, but at 212 degrees it boils. As it boils it creates steam and steam is powerful enough to move a locomotive! If steam can power a locomotive, then surely if our defense can boil, we can power our way to the playoffs!





MW: Wow, that's a mouthful. So essentially you are going to play a very attacking style of 4-3 defense?
Coach Jackson: Yes, when I was at Texas Southern we had a top defense in FCS and we played a very physical defense that stopped the run first and put pressure on teams in the passing game. We feel that we've brought in a few more players who can help us accomplish these goals and the guys are really excited about this new approach. Our guys are working really hard in the off-season and can't wait to get after somebody.

MW: With a 4-3 scheme, certainly the front 4 guys need to be able to 'get home'. Who do you see in that group when 2014 starts?
Coach Jackson: Well, we have to let that play itself out. But, we were pleased to see the progress that Evan Gentry made during last year as a true freshman at defensive end. We are expecting him to keep getting better. Guys on the inside like Goose (Jarrett Grabbe) and Grant Schindler will help us out in the 4-3 as they both have a lot of experience, along with a few new transfer big bodies like Marco Naughton (6-2, 295) from Iowa Western and also James Broaddus (6-5, 245) from Florida A&M. We also get to see what redshirt Daulton Olinger can do for us as well. Michael Tolkamp battled injuries most of last year. We are expecting him to help us around the end and bring some pressure.

MW: I've always liked the idea of current all-league cornerback John Tidwell playing the safety position due to his ability to cover ground, his instincts, and ability to tackle as well. Any thoughts of moving John to safety?
Coach Jackson: A lot of things have been discussed. Problem is, if John moved then we'd have to replace him at corner. What it really boils down to in our new defense is that the safeties and the corners both need to be able to cover real well. We are going to be attacking upfront and they need to be able to hold down the back. We need to find out who we think our the best athletes to cover and then put them in the spots that's a best fit for us. Broughan Jantz has really been working hard in the offseason and I expect him to be ready for a strong season with a year under his belt here in Sioux Falls.

MW: You made reference to new bodies, wide-receiver Earlzo Singleton has caught my eye, his tape looks dynamic. What area are you responsible for recruiting, was he one of your guys?
Coach Jackson: Yes, he's from my area in Chicago, but I can't claim him. He came to us actually. This program has such good tradition that people sometimes look us up and want to be part of it. As you said though, the film speaks for itself. A very fast receiver who can make plays. He's here on campus right now actually, he's on the baseball team too.

MW: Coach, good to get a chance to meet you. Thanks for your time.
Coach Jackson: Anytime Matt, thanks.