Prairie View A&M football: We got these hands now
Prairie View A&M head coach Tremaine Jackson isn’t interested in quiet confidence as he sets out to defend last year’s SWAC Football Championship.
During SWAC Football Media Day, Jackson delivered one of the day’s most memorable sound bites, making it clear that the Panthers expect to compete with anyone in the conference in 2026.
“We do have these hands,” Jackson said. “I want everybody to know that we got these hands. This ain’t the Prairie View of the ’90s. We got hands now, and we make no qualms about that.”
The statement reflects the confidence surrounding a Prairie View program coming off one of its best seasons in recent history. The Panthers finished 11-3 overall, captured the SWAC West Division title, defeated Jackson State on the road to earn a trip to the Cricket Celebration Bowl, and came within two points of a national championship before falling 40-38 to South Carolina State.
Pride without arrogance
Jackson said confidence shouldn’t be mistaken for arrogance, emphasizing that Prairie View and the rest of the SWAC deserve to celebrate what they’ve built.
“We as a whole, this conference, our school, the schools in this conference, we do great things,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to stop living by, ‘Hey, sit on the quiet and be humble.’ You can be humble and still be proud about what you’re doing.”
Jackson credited his players for embracing the culture of the program and putting in the work necessary to elevate expectations.
“I love my babies,” Jackson said. “My babies work extremely hard.”
His message wasn’t about talking tough. It was about acknowledging that Prairie View believes it has become one of the conference’s premier programs.
Labor Day Classic looms large
While Prairie View opens the 2026 season on Aug. 29 at Tarleton State, Jackson acknowledged that one game already has everyone’s attention-the Sept. 6 Labor Day Classic against Texas Southern.
The nationally televised Sunday matchup serves as Prairie View’s SWAC opener and renews one of the conference’s most important rivalries.
Jackson believes last season’s meeting proved just how significant the matchup has become.
“Last year I felt like that was the Western Division championship game in Week 1,” Jackson said. “They were on our heels the whole season until they lost one late. They’ve got a really good program, and I’m looking forward to it being a good game again.”
His comments are supported by how the 2025 season unfolded.
Prairie View escaped with a 22-21 victory over Texas Southern in Houston to open the season. The Panthers eventually claimed the SWAC West championship, while the Tigers remained in the division race for much of the year before falling out of contention late.
This year’s rematch shifts to Panther Stadium in Prairie View and will kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday, Sept. 6, as the lone nationally televised college football game in that window.
Jackson even found humor in the unusual kickoff time.
“There was some people complaining about the game being at 11:00,” Jackson said. “I told my pastor to give them the short hymn and get them on to the game. God’s going to be at the game.”
A program with championship aspirations
Jackson’s confidence isn’t rooted in nostalgia-it’s rooted in results.
The Panthers return after an 11-win season that included victories over Grambling in the State Fair Classic, Jackson State in the SWAC Championship Game, and a berth in the Celebration Bowl.
Those accomplishments have changed expectations inside the program.
Now, Jackson wants the rest of the conference to recognize that Prairie View expects to remain among the SWAC’s championship contenders.
“This ain’t the Prairie View of the ’90s.”
It’s a statement that captures both how far the Panthers believe they’ve come and the standard they expect to uphold in 2026.
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This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 4:17 PM.