Jackson State names Raekwon Bethea DL coach, adds Trey Uptigrow

Jackson State has added two key pieces to its 2026 staff: Raekwon Bethea as defensive line coach and Trey Uptigrow as director of sports performance. The moves come with significant turnover up front and a recruiting drive that has concentrated heavily on replenishing the Tigers’ defensive line.

Bethea replaces Aaron Jackson, who announced his departure on social media. Jackson wrote in part: "1st off thanks to coach (T.C.) Taylor & (associate head) coach (Otis Riddley) for the tremendous opportunity! ... These past 3 seasons have truly been special and instrumental for growth in the profession! ... I will be in pursuit of other opportunities and wish thee Tiger family the best." Jackson served through the 2025 season.

A native of Gainesville, Fla., Bethea arrives from Hampton, where he was in charge of coaching defensive tackles after joining the Pirate staff in March of 2025. His résumé traces stops at Albany State, Western Kentucky, Coastal Carolina, Kentucky and SMU. Hampton’s bio notes Bethea worked with the Mustang defensive linemen and tutored Jared-Harrison Hunte and Elijah Roberts, both of whom were invited to the East-West Shrine Bowl and the NFL Combine. Hampton’s profile also cites team achievements during Bethea’s time at SMU, crediting the staff with an 11-3 season and top-25 defensive rankings; those program-level claims are presented on Hampton’s site alongside Bethea’s individual work.

The hires arrive against clear roster pressure. Jackson State’s defense in 2025 ranked first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and 12th in the FCS in rushing yards allowed at 111.7 yards per game, and it finished fifth in the conference with 19 sacks. Yet the Tigers face a complete turnover on the interior: none of the Tigers’ starting defensive linemen will return in 2026. Jackson State has prioritized the position in recruiting, adding 11 new players at defensive line this offseason, seven from the transfer portal and four from high school and junior college.

Trey Uptigrow joins as director of sports performance after serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida Atlantic. Uptigrow’s background also includes stops at South Carolina State, Western Kentucky, Mississippi Valley State and Allen. Jackson State’s investment in a dedicated performance director underscores an institutional push to pair talent acquisition with year-round development and injury prevention, a linkage that matters when a team must turn largely new pieces into an effective front seven.

Strategically, Bethea’s résumé, graduate-assistant seasoning across multiple FBS programs and recent work developing draft-invited linemen, signals Jackson State is leveraging younger, upwardly mobile coaches who bring both recruiting ties and track records of player advancement. For an HBCU program balancing competitiveness, NIL dynamics, and transfer-portal churn, staffing decisions are both football and business moves: they aim to accelerate player development, attract portal talent, and reassure recruits that coaching and performance infrastructure are priorities.

Next up for Jackson State will be integrating Bethea and Uptigrow into spring practice, converting portal additions into cohesion and clarifying depth charts before fall camp. How quickly Jared-Harrison Hunte-style production can be replicated inside the Jackson State defensive front will shape not only on-field results but recruiting momentum across the SWAC.