‘He’s the best player in the country.’ Daniel Jackson comes through for Georgia

And that’s quite a list, with Johnson beginning his postgame press conference getting choked up about Charlie Condon, who stuck at Georgia after Johnson took over in 2023. The Bulldogs fell in the super regionals in 2024, despite Condon’s BBCOR-era record 37 home runs, with Condon going on to win the Golden Spikes Award and become Georgia’s highest-ever draft pick at No. 3 that year.

Jackson, a finalist for National Player of the Year and semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, crushed his 31st home run of the year to the left field trees in the 10th inning of Sunday’s win. The play put Georgia ahead, 11-9, after the bullpen had surrendered a four-run lead.

Jackson, who wrote “30-30” on a white board entering this year, also stole his 26th base. If the Bulldogs go on a deep run in Omaha, it’s possible the junior catcher could become the second player in Division I history to reach the 30-30 milestone, joining Florida State’s J.D. Drew, who won the Golden Spikes Award in 1997.

After transferring from Wofford as a sophomore, Jackson came on phenomenally strong for Georgia this season. He leads an offense that has hit a program-record 174 home runs (and counting), overtaking the 2024 squad’s previous record of 151.

Jackson growing in belief and Johnson helping him master the mental game has made all the difference. It has paid off all year for the 51-win Bulldogs, and did so again with a trip to Omaha on the line.

“Another thing coach Johnson talks about all the time is, be the hero of your imagination,” Jackson said. “And when you go to bed at night, think about, you know, great things that you’re about to do.

“… That was probably where I needed to improve the most, and you know, we talked about belief a lot, and when you can go into the box and believe (in yourself) and tell yourself you’re the best, you know, great things happen, and so a lot of my successes come from that, and so I can thank coach for that.”

As a sophomore at Georgia, Jackson appeared in 45 games, with 36 starts at five different positions. He hit .240 with 14 home runs and 36 RBIs and was 12-for-12 in stolen bases.

As a junior, he’s started 63 games, batting .396 with 86 RBIs, leading the SEC in slugging (.837) and batting average (.396).

“Daniel Jackson’s one of the great players in college baseball,” Mississippi State coach Brian O’Connor said. “To play that position like he does every day, and the offensive firepower he has, and the spirit of which he plays the game with, is really, really special. And you know, he didn’t do that last year, it was a growth year for him in this league, and what he ended up doing is impressive, and great player, a lot of great players in that other dugout.”

For Jackson and the Bulldogs, though, the goal isn’t simply to make it out of super regionals and into the College World Series.

It’s to win once they get to Omaha.

“We’ll soak it in for about 12 to 24 hours, and then get right back to the grind, be where our feet are at, you know?” Jackson said. “Take each day of practice, get better, set us up for a good time at Omaha, winning.”