Donovan Jackson was hired as Seattle's offensive assistant, his first as a full-time NFL assistant, on March 15, 2023, following one season (2022) as a pro scout for the Minnesota Vikings. He spent the 2021 season with the Green Bay Packers as a scouting assistant.
Jackson was a four-time participant of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship, primarily working with offensive lines. Established in 1987, the program provides yearly NFL offseason and training camp positions to minority coaches and exposes talented minority college coaches to the methods and philosophies of summer NFL training camps. Jackson spent time with the Chicago Bears (2020), Miami Dolphins (2019), L.A. Chargers (2017) and N.Y. Jets (2016). While focusing on coaching development and offensive line play, Jackson inputted data, created drawings for installations, prepared scout team cards, produced film cut-ups and scouting report templates and scouted defensive opponents.
He served as an offensive line assistant/analyst at LSU in 2018, winning nine regular season games and making a Fiesta Bowl appearance. In 2015, Jackson was the offensive line coach/run game coordinator at Savannah State University where the Tigers ranked in the top five in the MEAC in rushing and sacks allowed. Jackson helped produce three all-conference linemen.
Jackson began his collegiate coaching career at Norfolk State as an offensive line assistant in 2014, and also spent eight seasons working within the high school level.
The Winston-Salem, N.C., native was a four-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines at Norfolk State (2003-07) and was a team captain during the junior and senior years. After college, Jackson played in the Arena League with the Laredo Lobos (2007) and Chicago Rush (2008). He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Norfolk State in 2007 and his master's in physical education from North Carolina A&T State University in 2012.
