Northeast Mississippi Community College Athletics

After a year away from the gridiron, Kenny Jackson returned to coach in a league that he is very familiar in 2014. He now enters his third campaign as Northeast Mississippi Community College’s defensive coordinator.

He helped mold current Tiger linemen Colton Meadows and Anthony Rush into potential NCAA Division I power-five conference athletes during their freshman seasons one year ago.

A trio of sophomores from the 2015 class that honed their craft under Jackson signed scholarships to extend their careers. They were defensive backs Mackenro Alexander (Iowa State University) and Brady Smith (Alcorn State University) plus lineman Terrance Lindsey (University of Arkansas at Monticello).

Jackson instructed six men that signed to continue their careers at four-year institutions during his inaugural season with the Tigers including Ralph Green (Northwestern State University), Jason Carr (University of West Georgia), Jamel Dennis (Delta State University), Lemetrius Hollins (Mississippi College), Marcus Robinson (University of North Alabama) and Jonathan Bobo (Faulkner University).

He also helped Northeast freshmen linemen Jalen Hadley and Justin Williams polish their craft and become two of the top athletes in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC).

Hadley was second among the Tigers with 11 tackles for a loss of 70 yards while Williams earned MACJC All-State honors with 56 total takedowns and 4.5 quarterback sacks.

Northeast featured a stingy unit under the watch of Jackson that topped the MACJC and was sixth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with 16 fumble recoveries. Add their seven interceptions and the Tigers finished second in the state with 23 forced turnovers.

The New Orleans, La., product has coached inside the MACJC, which has built the moniker as the toughest junior college league in America, for over a decade and was a standout athlete at Hinds Community College from 1997-99.

Following a pair of successful seasons with the Eagles, Jackson inked with the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). He played defensive tackle and tallied 89 total tackles, four of them for loss, with two sacks during his senior year of 2001.

Jackson joined the National Football League’s (NFL) Detroit Lions for their 2001 training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent. He then spent the next two years playing for Arena Football League (AFL) organizations such as the Memphis Xplorers and Columbus Destroyers.

Upon retiring from the professional ranks, Jackson came back to the Magnolia State and was hired as the defensive line coach at Itawamba Community College in 2004.

He was promoted to defensive coordinator before the 2009 campaign with the Indians and served in that role for two years. Jackson's units allowed just 171.3 rushing yards per game.

Jackson went home to his alma mater in 2010 and served as defensive line coach at Hinds. He aided the Eagles in a return to the MACJC State Playoffs one season later with a line that caused six fumbles, recovered two loose balls and compiled 36 total sacks.

Hinds went 7-3 that year with Jackson in command of the big men up front, but lost to eventual national champion East Mississippi Community College in the state semifinals.

Jackson's squad had 27 sacks and eleven forced fumbles during his final campaign in Raymond as the Eagles barely missed the postseason in 2012. His players have led the MACJC in sacks and tackles for loss in six separate years as a coach.

He has served as a guest instructor at football clinics and camps across the southeastern United States. Jackson is a member of both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC).

With a focus on the scholastic realm and not just the field of competition, Jackson completed an Associate’s degree at Hinds and also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss.

Jackson is married to his wife Vikesha and the couple has one son, Khalil.