2025 Coach of the Year
Rico Jackson
Anniston
Presented by Bryant Bank

Award Presentation
Some coaches are known in one town. Rico Jackson has been known across the state as a coach who doesn’t mind moving and accepting a challenge. And wherever he goes, those football teams get better.
In 2025, in his third campaign at Anniston High School, Jackson put together a season that was equal parts dominant and dependable: 14 wins, 1 loss, and a team that controlled games on both sides of the ball—scoring 32.8 points per contest while giving up just 13.9.
Jackson’s career has been defined by big stages. He’s led both Aliceville and Anniston to the Super 7 state championship game.
Just as impressive has been the impact he has made at every stop.. He’s coached all-state players at multiple schools, built winning cultures in different communities, and helped develop assistants who have earned Coach of the Year honors themselves.
Before he ever held a headset, Jackson was an outstanding linebacker—first at LaGrange High School and then as a three-year letterman at Alabama State. Today, he’s supported by his wife, Chakema, and their three children—Koen, Bailey, and Ryann—because the life of a head coach is never a solo endeavor.
In 2026, he accepts still another challenge as he will work to establish that winning mindset at Minor High School.


















