Prairie View A&M coach disputes South Dakota State use of D.O.G. slogan

Tremaine Jackson is treating a spring-practice slogan like program property, and Prairie View A&M has good reason to care. After South Dakota State assistant defensive backs coach Noah Kent posted, “DOG Mentality! Spring 26 #Discipline #Obedience #Grit,” Jackson pushed back publicly, saying D.O.G. stood for discipline, obedience and grit and was tied to Prairie View’s football identity.

The dispute is about more than a catchy phrase. Jackson filed a U.S. trademark application for D.O.G. in March, and the filing remained pending. If Prairie View eventually wins protection, it could control commercial use of the slogan on apparel, branded content and other merchandise tied to the program. That would not give the Panthers a monopoly on the words in everyday conversation, but it could give Jackson and Prairie View a stronger legal hand in the NIL and merchandise era, where a memorable brand can be as valuable as a playbook install.

That is why Jackson’s reaction landed with force. Prairie View’s first season under him was not just a rebound, it was a reset. The Panthers went 10-4 in the regular season, finished first in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and reached the Celebration Bowl for the first time in program history. South Carolina State beat Prairie View 40-38 in quadruple overtime on Dec. 13, 2025, but the loss did little to dull the scale of the turnaround.

Jackson arrived with a resume that already carried weight. Prairie View named him head coach on Dec. 21, 2024, effective Jan. 1, 2025, after a run at Valdosta State in which he went 30-9 over three seasons and was named AFCA Division II National Coach of the Year. Prairie View athletics says he is entering his second season in 2026 after establishing a new standard and culture in his first year.

The timing matters, too. Jackson recently agreed to an amended contract that included a 35-percent raise for both his salary and the football staff pool, along with stronger revenue-sharing support. That makes the D.O.G. fight read less like a social-media squabble and more like a modern branding dispute inside a program trying to cash in on winning.

South Dakota State’s staff directory lists Kent as a temporary employee in the athletics department, which helps explain why his spring post became the flashpoint. But Prairie View’s concern is bigger than one post from Brookings. In a college game increasingly driven by trademarks, logos and monetizable identity, Jackson is trying to make sure D.O.G. stays attached to Prairie View A&M, not borrowed from it.