COLUMBIA, Mo. — A veteran coach with experience at all levels of baseball, Kerrick Jackson was named the University of Missouri’s 15th head coach, Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois announced. Jackson, a St. Louis native, will be officially introduced on Mizzou’s campus in the coming days.
Jackson led the University of Memphis to 29 victories this season, their first winning season since 2017. He returns to Columbia after having served as a Mizzou assistant from 2011-15.
“We set out to find a leader of high character with success rejuvenating a program, and we certainly found that in Kerrick Jackson,” Reed-Francois said. “He’s a tireless recruiter, fierce competitor and a coach with deep roots in the Midwest. Coach Jackson knows what success looks like in college baseball, specifically at Mizzou. He has a vision for success and a tremendous amount of experience at all levels of baseball. I look forward to him building on our traditions and returning us to the national stage. We proudly welcome Coach Jackson, Talia, Zion and Lazarus home to Columbia.”
Known as a developer of players, a recruiter, and a strong talent evaluator, Jackson is a well-respected leader in baseball circles, serving on the American Baseball Coaches Association Board of Directors and as chair of their Diversity in Baseball committee.
“It’s a great honor to come back to the University of Missouri and lead the baseball program,” Jackson said. “I have seen this program at its championship best and understand both what it takes to get there and the importance of baseball to the state, region and within the Southeastern Conference. My family and I are looking forward to returning to a University and community which we love. I am grateful to Desireé Reed-Francois and the search committee for trusting me with this tremendous opportunity.”
At Memphis, pitcher Dalton Fowler was named American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and was a unanimous First-Team All-AAC selection. Three other student-athletes earned all-conference recognition, with one selected to the AAC All-Freshman team. Prior to his season at Memphis, Jackson was the President of the MLB Draft League from 2020-22, a six-team summer baseball league sponsored by Major League Baseball and featuring a split-season amateur-professional format.
Jackson served as the head coach at Southern University from 2018-20, where he took a nine-win team in 2018 to 32 wins, a conference championship, and the NCAA Tournament the following season, earning SWAC and Louisiana Sports Writers Association Coach of the Year accolades. His 2018 Jaguar team boasted the athletic department’s highest men’s team GPA and received national recognition for its community service efforts.
Jackson worked for the Boras Corporation as a certified player agent for two years from 2016-17, where he identified prep and college players with the best chance to develop into Major League talent.
He served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Mizzou from 2011-15, working with the Tigers’ hitters, outfielders, and infielders. Mizzou made back-to-back trips to the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship in 2011-12, culminating with the program’s first Big 12 title in 2012. The Tigers had multiple nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including 24th in 2012, 12th in 2014 and a consensus Top-30 class in 2015.
Before heading to Missouri baseball, Jackson served as the Midwest Area Scouting Supervisor for the Washington Nationals from 2008-10, overseeing Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas.
His other collegiate coaching stops include assistant stints at St. Louis Community College-Meramec (2008), Nicholls State (2006-07), Jefferson (Mo.) College (2004-05), Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College (2003), Emporia State (2002) and Fairfield (2001). Jackson also has extensive experience in the summer collegiate leagues, as he has coached in the Cape Cod League and New England Collegiate Baseball League.
Jackson spent two years at St. Louis Community College-Meramec as a student-athlete, where the team finished third at the JUCO World Series in 1995. Following that, he played at Bethune-Cookman University in 1996, leading the squad to its first-ever conference championship and regional appearance. Jackson concluded his playing career at the University of Nebraska in 1997, graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology.
Jackson and his wife, Talia, have two sons, Zion and Lazarus.