A sleeper? More like a history-maker. Daniel Jackson aims to be ‘undeniable’
Daniel Jackson wrote “30-30” on his whiteboard at home.
While 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases could still be possible, with three more series in the regular season, Jackson has already made history as the first Georgia player and first SEC catcher to ever record 20 stolen bases and 20 home runs in a season.
He’ll certainly take it.
“Shoot for, you know, the highest thing,” Jackson said. “And whatever comes after that is good. It’s going obviously great right now, and it’s pretty exciting.”
Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound catcher, is one of only two players in the country to meet the 20-20 milestone this season (along with Fairleigh Dickinson’s Hunter Ray). Entering the first game of Georgia’s series with Missouri on Friday, he’s third in Division l with 23 home runs and fourth in RBIs with 67, committing just two errors all season with a .995 fielding percentage. He’s up to 21 stolen bases now.
He leads the SEC in batting average (.385) and slugging (.824) and has helped the Bulldogs maintain their healthy national lead in home runs (124, with the next-closest team, Oklahoma State, at 100).
Jackson has brought not just power and defense, but speed as the Omaha-hopeful No. 5 Bulldogs look to finish the season strong after going 9-3 in April in SEC road series against ranked opponents (sweeping No. 4 Mississippi State in Starkville and taking two of three games at No. 16 Arkansas and No. 17 Ole Miss).
“I know what I need to do to be good, but then it’s kind of just like, knowing that I can be undeniable, or rather, go take what I want,” Jackson said. “Just really having no doubt. … And when you don’t really have anything in the back of your mind telling you what you can’t do, it’s just like, great things happen.”
Jackson had confidence and belief in years prior, he said, but didn’t fully know what they meant until he showed up for his junior season in Athens.
He got a boost from playing well in the summer, earning All-Star and All-League honors in the Cape Cod League, and from the continuity of returning to Georgia (he transferred from Wofford the year prior).
“I was like, ‘Yeah, this is my year,’” Jackson said.
It’s hard to pick which part of Jackson’s game impresses coach Wes Johnson the most.
In April, his catcher was named to midseason watch lists for both the Golden Spikes Award, given to the top amateur player in the country, and the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award.
“We could sit here all day and do a whole segment on Daniel,” Johnson said. “But I mean, the young man’s work ethic. You know, I think he’s truly learned how to believe in himself and believe in his approach. You know, success is defined different for each player and different for everybody. He’s learning what success is for him.”
For shortstop Kolby Branch, he could see Jackson’s talent last season, but it’s been fun watching him grow into his game and show more discipline this year.
“He’s an amazing athlete, but you’re just kind of waiting for him to put it together,” Branch said. “And when he did that this year, it’s pretty impressive.”
As a sophomore with the Bulldogs, Jackson appeared in 45 games with 36 starts at five positions, 12 of those at catcher. This year, he has started every game, with 39 of those starts at catcher and seven as designated hitter.
That’s allowed Jackson to put his talents on display even more, infielder Tre Phelps said.
“And I wouldn’t say, prove a lot of people wrong, but prove more people inside of the circle right that we’ve kind of been seeing it throughout the fall,” Phelps said. “We saw it last year. … Being able to see how (Jackson) has put a year together like this and he has more to come, I’m utterly excited.”
Entering this season, Jackson was named to Baseball America’s All-Underrated Team and also named a sleeper 2026 MLB draft prospect. His stock has certainly risen throughout the year, recently named No. 55 in MLB.com’s Top 150 2026 draft prospects.
“He should fit in the top two rounds,” reads MLB’s scouting report, adding: “Extremely strong and hits the ball extremely hard from the right side of the plate, looking like a taller version of (Baltimore Orioles outfielder) Tyler O’Neill.”
All that to say, it’s not Jackson’s main focus right now.
“It’s hard not to think about, just because it’s so exciting, about what the future holds,” Jackson said. “But the most important thing, you know, I’ve kind of prided myself on doing a good job of is being where my feet are at. … What some of the coaches have said, and it makes sense, is (if) you’re where your feet are at, doing what you can to help your team win that day, good things will happen. And as a byproduct of that, you know, you’ll get what you want.”
In the meantime, with a half-game lead over Texas A&M as of Friday afternoon, Georgia baseball has a chance to win its first SEC regular season title since the 2007-08 season.
The Bulldogs (35-11, 15-6 SEC) have hosted two straight regionals, but haven’t made it back to the College World Series since 2008, winning it in 1990.
“When we’re clicking, I don’t really feel like there’s much that can stop us,” Jackson said.
About the Author
Sarah Spencer, a Georgia native and UGA alum, serves as a general assignment and features writer for sports. She previously covered the Hawks from 2019-22.
