Jawon Hamilton joined the Nebraska Kearney football program in the summer of 2026 and serves as one of two graduate assistants. In 2026, he'll lead the Loper running back room.
The Florida native played for UNK Head Coach Ryan Held at Central Florida over the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He then played three years at FC power James Madison (Va.) before finishing up at Eastern Michigan. Most recently, Hamilton was an assistant coach at Homestead High School (Homestead, Fla.) as backs coach after serving in the same role at his alma mater, South Dade H.S.
For the Golden Knights, Hamilton led team in rushing yards (495) and carries (139) as a true freshmen in 2016. He played in all 13 games, scored four times and caught 17 passes. During UCF's 13-0 2017 campaign, he was injured in the second game of the year at Maryland and received a medical redshirt. At JMU, where he played for Curt Cignetti for two seasons, he was a two-time third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) pick. Over 36 games Hamilton ran for 1,510 yards and 11 TD's for a program that was 2019 FCS runners up and 2021 (spring) semifinalists. Finally at EMU, he had a team-best 657 rushing yards and four scores on 101 carries. Hamilton ran for 122 and 187 yards, respectively, against UMass and Western Michigan with the Eagles winning seven games and reaching a bowl.
At South Dade, Hamilton was the 2015 Tournament of Champions South Florida Player of the Year, Class 8A first-team all-state, first-team All-Dade and Miami Herald All-Dade Class 8A-6A. He rushed for 1,259 yards and 16 TD's as a senior, helping his team advance to the regional title game. Finally, he holds a B.S. in Sociology from JMU.
