Football
Sep 20 (Sat)
5:00 pm MT
- Title:
- Asst. head coach/defensive backs coach
Charlie Jackson enters his fourth year at Air Force as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach. Jackson’s tenure has been an overwhelming success, as the 2022 Air Force defense ranked number one nationally in total defense, number one nationally in least first downs allowed, second nationally in passing defense, third in scoring defense, third in 3rd down conversion defense, and number five in rushing defense. Air Force’s dominant defense continued in 2023 as Jackson helped the unit rank NCAA Top 10 while coaching Trey Taylor to first-team All-American honors and the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back in college football. Air Force has ranked first in the Mountain West in total defense every season since Jackson joined the staff.
Jackson is the only football coach in the country to have served as a college head football coach, college football assistant coach, NFL assistant coach, NFL scout, and NCAA National Office enforcement staff executive. He came to the Academy from Kentucky State, where he served as head coach the prior three seasons. Jackson garnered national recognition for his total rebuild and overhaul of the Kentucky State program. He is the winningest (percentage) head football coach at Kentucky State since 1945, with a minimum 20 games. Jackson arrived at Kentucky State with the football program in the midst of an abysmal downward spiral that culminated in a 0-10 season in 2018. He took over a program on a 12-game losing streak and a record of 1-16 in the previous 17 games.
In Jackson’s first year leading the program, the team’s win total improved by seven games, the highest total win improvement in the country. His team posted victories over multiple Division I opponents for the first time in school history, and his team’s 70 percent winning percentage (7-3) was the program’s best in 41 years. After not competing in 2020 due to COVID-19, the next season produced more winning and the team’s 14-win improvement over two seasons ranked No. 1. Jackson’s team set university records for points in an away game (76), points in a home game (63), total yards in a game (746), rush yards in a game (662), Division 1 victories, most players with a 3.0 GPA (35), and many more.
Jackson was just as successful off the field. He created a program known as MaxOut Foundation - A plan of action for collegiate student-athletes: helping people, positively impacting society, and leading by example. MaxOut Foundation has been recognized throughout Kentucky and nationally for its efforts to develop well-rounded student-athletes. It has been lauded for teaching citizenship and increasing sense of belonging while broadening perspectives and asking student-athletes to consider the roles of military service, social programs, economic growth, infrastructure, and education with regard to community building. Included in MaxOut Foundation’s many development and community engagement initiatives are team activities at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center, a Veterans facility providing nursing care/rehabilitation for Kentucky Veterans, former POWs, and wounded Veterans.
Jackson was defensive assistant/defensive backs coach with the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) prior to Kentucky State. With the Atlanta Falcons, the defensive unit ranked NFL Top 10 in scoring defense (eighth) and total defense (ninth) for the first time in 20 years. The Atlanta defensive unit finished fifth in red zone defense and ninth in rushing defense. Atlanta defensive back, Keanu Neal, was selected to his first Pro Bowl, and defensive back, Damontae Kazee, tied for the NFL lead with 7 interceptions. He was the NCAA’s football liaison to the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Mountain West Conference (MWC), and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
He was the NCAA’s football liaison to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Mountain West Conference (MWC). His background also includes multiple defensive coaching roles with the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos, along with coaching fellowships with the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams. Additionally, he served as a college scout for the Seattle Seahawks organization. With the Green Bay Packers, the defensive unit ranked seventh in the NFL in total defense and ranked first in passing defense - the organization’s best in 27 years. During his time as a college scout with the Seattle Seahawks, the organization drafted future NFL All-Pro players Richard Sherman, Bobby Wagner, Russell Wilson, and more. Jackson has collegiate experience at Colorado, UCLA, Utah State, Buffalo, and Air Force. Jackson was a defensive assistant and junior varsity coach at the Academy in 2004.
Jackson is a 2000 graduate of the Air Force Academy, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in management. He later earned a master’s degree in management and sports studies from California State Long Beach. Jackson was a three-year letterman in football and also participated in indoor track and field. Following his senior football season, Jackson was selected by his teammates as a permanent team captain and recipient of Air Force football’s highest honor, the Brian Bullard Award, as the player who displays unselfishness, pride in his role, total team commitment, and 110 percent effort.
Jackson served in the Air Force before entering the coaching arena in 2004. He ascended to the rank of captain while being stationed more than four years at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. His duties included assisting in negotiations with three foreign government agencies in support of international treaty agreements.
Jackson is a native of Vienna, Georgia. He is a 1995 academic honors graduate of Macon County High School in Montezuma, Georgia. As a football player at Macon County, he was selected to the Georgia Academic All-State football team and many on the field accolades, including Georgia Region 1A Football Player of the Year and Georgia Class-A Football Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Jackson is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). His professional associations include the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), NFL Coaches Association (NFLCA), National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Athletics Compliance (NAAC), Minority Coaches Association of Georgia (MCAofGA), and the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA)/Women Leaders in College Sports.
