Hue Jackson will not be the next head football coach at Morehouse College. The Maroon Tigers went in a completely different direction after he was reportedly a top candidate for the job.
They hired former NFL wide receiver and College Football Hall of Famer Terence Mathis on Friday instead.
It is my pleasure to extend a warm welcome to our new head football coach, former NFL pro and college football Hall of Famer, Terance Mathis, a leader who embodies the spirit of teamwork, dedication, and excellence. I look forward to watching Coach Mathis take our program to new heights and establishing a winning football culture within Morehouse College athletics.
— Morehouse College president, Dr. David A. Thomas
Mathis will take over the program after very limited experience as a coach. He served as the offensive coordinator for Savannah State in 2011 and coached Pinecrest Academy in Cumming, Ga. from 2017 through 2019.
His three years with the Paladins was an overwhelming disappointment. Mathis won just seven of 32 games as a head coach.
Now, five years later, he will get a chance to lead a college football program that won just one game last year and the year prior. Morehouse has won 13 games total in its last five seasons.
Hue Jackson was not hired.
Despite Mathis’ (limited) history of failure as a high school coach and lack of experience on the college or professional level, he got the job over Jackson. Jackson, who scolded Grambling State for firing him too early after two-straight losing seasons, previously served as a head coach and offensive coordinator in the NFL.
Apparently, his 19-58-1 overall record as a head coach was considered to be a greater liability than a relatively unproven former collegiate All-American and NFL Pro Bowl pass-catcher. That’s tough!
Jackson has expressed his desire to continue coaching at only 58 years old. Being passed over by a reeling HBCU program could mark the end of his career— though not by choice.
If Morehouse won’t hire him, who will? Only time will tell if Hue Jackson ever gets another opportunity as a head coach. It seems unlikely, though a return to the sideline in a coordinator or position coach role is something that could definitely come to fruition in the future.