Penn State football to bring back ex-GA, West Virginia DL coach as analyst

James Franklin is expected to reunite with a former graduate assistant who will support the Nittany Lions defense. Reported by Matt Zenitz of 247Sports on Sunday evening, Penn State football is set to hire West Virginia defensive line coach Andrew Jackson as an analyst.

Jackson served as a graduate assistant for Penn State football during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, where he helped coach standouts such as Anthony Zettle, Carl Nassib, and Garrett Sickels.

Penn State is expected to hire Andrew Jackson as a defensive line analyst, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.

Was West Virginia’s defensive line coach the last four years. Helped WVU rank No. 1 in the Big 12 in sacks in 2023 and helped Dante Stills finish as WVU’s all-time… pic.twitter.com/VDeMLMpdU0

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 9, 2025

After leaving Happy Valley, Jackson got his first on-field opportunity at Fordham in 2017. Before joining the West Virginia staff in 2021, Jackson spent time with two former Nittany Lions offensive coordinators, coaching under Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State in 2018 and Ricky Rahne at Old Dominion in 2020.

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Over the last four years, Jackson has helped turn the Mountaineers into one of the top defensive line units in the Big 12. In 2023, West Virginia led the conference in sacks and was top 15 nationally in tackles for loss. The unit regressed in 2024, however, ranking outside the top 100 in both categories.

In his new capacity, Jackson will work alongside new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and defensive line coach Deion Barnes.

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