​Daniel Jackson’s breakout season at Georgia elevated the program to the College World Series for the first time in 18 years and established him as the sport’s most prominent national star this year. The junior catcher dramatically improved his draft stock, even though he wasn’t among the top 35 selections, before ultimately being taken 37th overall by the Colorado Rockies in a competitive-balance selection. His selection marks the possibility of sharing a future clubhouse with 2024 Rockies first-round pick Charlie Condon, another standout from Georgia.
Before the season began, Baseball America pegged Jackson as the No. 201 prospect overall, underscoring the dramatic rise he would soon experience. Hailing from Sandy Springs, he became only the third SEC hitter to achieve a triple crown, following Rafael Palmeiro in 1984 and Brent Rooker in 2017 at Mississippi State. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds, Jackson finished with 32 home runs, a Georgia single-season record with 87 RBIs, and an impressive .379 batting average. He accomplished this in his second season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Wofford.
Jackson’s father, Dan, recalled the decision to enter the transfer portal as a pivotal moment: staying at Wofford might have kept him hitting around 100 home runs and possibly a fifth-round selection, but challenging the best competition would reveal whether he could reach the majors. “For him to go do it and with all the awards, that’s a dream come true,” Dan reflected. In addition to the triple crown, Jackson captured the Dick Howser Trophy as the nation’s top player and the Buster Posey Award as the best catcher.
A savage power hitter, Jackson ranked fourth in the country in home runs per game and led the nation with 88 runs scored, while also swiping 26 bases. He joined an elite group as the third player in Division I history to total at least 25 homers and 25 steals in a season. Georgia head coach Wes Johnson summed up the sentiment after the team clinched its place in the CWS on June 7, saying, “I just told Daniel, he’s the best player in the country. He’ll be one of the best I’ve ever coached.”
Defensively, Jackson spent 14 games in the outfield in 2024 and expressed willingness to play wherever a team might need him. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get to the big-league level,” he told the Athens Banner-Herald. “I think I cleared up some concerns about the defense in the later weeks of the year in the Supers and Omaha. People kind of see my athleticism and I think that provokes them to want to move me. I’ll catch as long as I possibly can and we’ll go from there.” With a combination of power, speed, and versatility, Jackson’s bid to reach the majors feels like a foregone conclusion for many observers, and his 2024 season will be remembered as a turning point for both his career and Georgia baseball.