Terrance Jamison is in his sixth season on the Illinois staff in 2026. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach in 2023 following two seasons as defensive line coach for the Fighting Illini. 

Jamison has led one of the best defensive line units in the Big Ten and the nation through his first five years in Champaign. Illinois has 37 wins, 23 Big Ten victories, and bowl victories in the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and 2025 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl during Jamison's time at Illinois. His defensive line room has combined for nine All-Big Ten honors over the last five seasons, including 2023 Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Jer'Zhan Newton.

Over the last two seasons (2024-25), Jamison's defensive lines have helped the Illini win 19 games, the program's most ever in a two-year span. The winningest two-year run in program history includes 15 Power-4 wins (the fourth-most in the Big Ten), six ranked wins, and two bowl victories over SEC opponents in the 2024 Citrus Bowl vs. #14 South Carolina and 2025 Music City Bowl vs. #23 Tennessee. 

Jamison helped the defense have its best game of the 2025 season in the Illini's Music City Bowl victory over Tennessee, holding the Volunteers' offense, which ranked fourth in the nation in yards per game, to a season-low 278 total yards. Illinois held Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar to a career-low 121 passing yards, 53 fewer than any other game in his career, and snapped his streak of 36 straight games throwing for more than 200 yards. 

In 2022 and 2023, Jamison coached star defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton to back-to-back All-American seasons. Newton, the fourth Illini in history to earn the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honor, was also a finalist for the prestigious 2023 Nagurski Trophy, which goes to the top defensive player in college football. He was one of the most disruptive players in the nation during his final season in the Orange and Blue, tying for the national lead in pressures among defensive tackles during the regular season, while registering 52 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Newton also led the nation and tied the Illinois record for blocked kicks with four. Newton became the second-highest drafted defensive tackle in Illinois history when the Washington Commanders selected him with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Jamison helped Illinois to its best season in 15 years in 2022. The Illini won eight games for the first time since 2007 and earned a berth in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Illini's first January bowl game since the 2008 Rose Bowl. Illinois led the nation in scoring defense (12.8), takeaways (32), and passing efficiency defense (92.6), with the defensive line playing a major role in the unit's success. Illinois also ranked in the top 10 in the nation in total defense (3rd, 273.5), rushing defense (10th, 99.8), fewest first downs allowed (7th, 199), and third down defense (9th, 30.1%).

In Jamison's 2022 defensive line room, Newton tied for the national lead in QB hits (19), ranked seventh in the nation in pressures (59), and together with All-Big Ten DT Keith Randolph, the duo led the nation in quarterback pressures among defensive line partners with 81. Newton tied for the nation lead in TFLs among interior defensive linemen with 14.0, while Randolph ranked third in the country among interior d-line players with 13.0 TFLs. Newton and Randolph ranked first and second in the Big Ten in TFLs among interior defensive linemen, more than 3.0 better than the next closest Big Ten player at their position. When adding nose tackle Calvin Avery, Illinois’ three interior defensive linemen totaled more tackles (139) and TFLs (29.0) than any other interior defensive line trio in the nation.

Jamison was a part of one of the best defensive turnarounds in the nation in 2021, helping Illinois to ranked wins over #7 Penn State and #20 Minnesota. Illinois’ scoring defense (31st from 97th), third down defense (31st from 89th), and total defense (52nd from 114th) all improved more than 50 spots in the national rankings from 2020. The Illini made massive gains in the Big Ten defensive rankings, as well, jumping nine or more spots in scoring defense (4th from 14th), touchdowns allowed (t-3rd from 14th), yards allowed per game (5th from 14th), and passing yards allowed per game (1st from 10th). He led defensive tackles Keith Randolph and Jer’Zhan Newton to All-Big Ten honorable mention honors.

Jamison spent the 2020 season at Purdue and the 2019 season at Air Force as the defensive line coach, where he helped the Falcons to an 11-2 record that included a 31-21 victory over Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl. That Air Force defensive unit finished in the top 20 nationally in a number of categories, including rushing defense (7th, 100.5), defensive touchdowns (12th, 3), total defense (17th, 319.6), and scoring defense (20th 19.8).

Jamison was also the defensive line coach for two seasons at Texas Tech (2017-18) and three seasons at Florida Atlantic (2014-16) prior to his stop at Air Force. He spent the 2013 season in a quality control role at California before earning his first full-time position at FAU.

Jamison has coached several outstanding players in his career before joining the Illini, including 2015 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year Trey Hendrickson, multiple-Pro Bowler J.J. Watt at Wisconsin, fifth-round NFL Draft pick Broderick Washington at Texas Tech, and George Karlaftis at Purdue, who was an All-Big Ten second team lineman in 2020.

A native of Harvey, Illinois, who graduated from Thornton Township High School, Jamison has two degrees from Wisconsin, a bachelor's in agricultural business management (2009) and a master's in educational leadership and policy analysis (2011). He and his wife, Ashley, have two daughters, Ava and Mackenzie, and one son, Jayce.

Coaching Career