Dan Jackson named as 22nd SDSU head coach

Dan Jackson, who previously played and coached football at South Dakota State, has been introduced as the 22^nd head coach in Jackrabbit football history.

An Omaha native, Jackson began his association with SDSU football as a player from 2003-05. He joined the Jackrabbits’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2012, when SDSU began its current streak of 13 consecutive appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. He was elevated to cornerbacks coach in 2014 and also served as recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach under John Stiegelmeier before moving on to Northern Illinois following the 2019 season.

Jackson coached two seasons at Northern Illinois, then was hired at Vanderbilt, where he coached defensive backs during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In 2024, Jackson became a defensive coordinator for the first time when he joined the coaching staff at Idaho under former Jackrabbit colleague Jason Eck. He also coached the linebackers for a Vandals squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. Jackson recently was tabbed to become defensive coordinator at New Mexico under Eck.

Joining Jackson in Brookings will be his wife, Missy.

New football season ticket deposits for the 2025 season will open Tuesday, January 14 via the Jackrabbit Ticket Office at JackrabbitTickets.com. Questions on new football season ticket deposits can be directed to the Jackrabbit Ticket Office at SDSU.Tickets@sdstate.edu or (605) 688-5422.