Feature Story: It's All About Relationships
Shannon Jackson is in his secnd year on the Georgia State football staff of head coach Trent Miles as defensive line coach, the same position he held on Miles' staff at Indiana State the previous five years.
In 2012, Jackson, who also served as assistant head coach at ISU, helped coach a defense that ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 14.3 points per game, and sixth nationally in total defense at 296.4 yards per game. The Sycamores were fifth nationally in pass efficiency defense, 14th in passing yards allowed and 28th in rushing yards allowed.
The highlight of the 2012 season was Indiana State's 17-14 road victory at No. 1-ranked and defending NCAA champion North Dakota State. In that game, the ISU defense scored 14 points.
In 2011, ISU defensive end Ben Obaseki earned first-team All-America honors by the Associated Press as he and his teammate, running back Shakir Bell, became the first Sycamores to earn this honor.
"Shannon Jackson is a players' coach as far as relating to them, but he is hard-nosed and demanding," said Miles. "He is a really good recruiter."
Jackson spent a total of 10 seasons at Indiana State, originally coaching on the Sycamores' staff from 2000-04 before returning to his alma mater in 2008 when Miles took over.
He was a key component in the Sycamores' remarkable turnaround under Miles that saw ISU post a winning season in 2010 for the first time since 1996. The program added winning campaigns in 2011 and 2012 to give ISU three consecutive winnings seasons for the first time since the 1960s.
Before returning to Indiana State, Jackson spent three years coaching the defensive line at Eastern Illinois (2005-07). In 2006, he helped coach a defensive unit that led the nation with 36 turnovers forced.
In the summer of 2003, Jackson worked with the Jacksonville Jaguars' staff through the NFL's Minority Internship Program.
After a standout playing career at Indiana State, Jackson began his coaching career in 2000 as a graduate assistant on the ISU staff, working with tight ends. He moved to a full-time position as a defensive assistant from 2001-03.
In that first stint at ISU, he tutored Kyle Mitchell, who went on to break the school sack record that Jackson himself had set. Jackson also coached Richard Harris, who signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Jackson was a standout defensive lineman for the Sycamores, earning All-America recognition as a senior in 1999.
A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Jackson earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana State in criminology in 2000. He and his wife, Sumalayo, have a son, Bryson, and a daughter, Brylee.
