Mizzou hires Kerrick Jackson, who becomes first Black baseball coach in SEC history

Kerrick Jackson is taking his talents back home, where his new role at the University of Missouri has made him the first Black baseball coach in SEC history.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jackson, 49 — who was University of Memphis’ head baseball coach this season — spent five seasons at Mizzou as an assistant coach from 2011 to 2015.

Regardless of the roles he’s had up until now, consultant Ian Kinsler, who assisted athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois on her Mizzou coaching search, said Jackson had landed his “dream job.”

Memphis Tigers head coach Kerrick Jackson, shown at an NCAA baseball game against Tulane in April in New Orleans, has been named the head baseball coach at the University of Missouri, making him the first Black baseball coach in SEC history. (Photo by Matthew Hinton/AP)

“If we take all the past experiences that he’s had in his life, what he’s done with his passion, his energy, his commitment,” noted Kinsler, “and then also add the fact that he’s familiar with (Mizzou) … it all just made complete sense that this is the right person to lead this program.”

Jackson agreed to a five-year contract, with an initial beginning salary of $675,000 that rises by $25,000 annually throughout the agreement to $775,000 in 2028. 

As a result, Mizzou can no longer claim to employ the Southeastern Conference’s lowest-paid baseball coach. Jackson’s 2024 salary would place him at No. 10 among current wages in the SEC’s 14 teams. At Memphis, Jackson earned $257,500 annually. Steve Bieser, Mizzou’s former head baseball coach, was fired on May 28 and still had one year left on his contract, which gave him the lowest salary in the SEC — $475,000 — per year.

However, Jackson’s motivation for the opportunity went beyond a larger salary. He declared he’s prepared to assist in restoring the program to national prominence and ensuring that it has “a culture and an identity that is second to none.”

“This is a special place to me,” Jackson said, according to the Post-Dispatch. “To be blessed with this opportunity to lead this program, you don’t know how much it means. People have [asked] me the last couple of days, ‘Has it hit you yet?’ Guess what. It just hit me.”

Jackson said he spoke with Reed-Francois during the interview process about Mizzou’s need for “developmental tools” and “developmental staff.” However, he declined to share concrete plans for an increased baseball budget or facility improvements.

Jackson has made a profession out of the sport since junior college, working as an assistant coach at large and small universities. He worked for the Washington Nationals as an MLB scout and for Scott Boras’ agency.

He transformed two teams as a collegiate head coach in four seasons, leading Southern University from nine victories in 2018 to 32 in 2019. He led Memphis to its best record – 29-28 – in six years in just one season.

Jackson is making a comeback on the biggest stage in collegiate athletics. Mizzou teams have won two NCAA-recognized national championships in school history, with baseball taking home one of those crowns in 1954. From 1952 to 1964, the program made six College World Series appearances. 

He must appoint staff and search the NCAA transfer portal, which already has several players from the Mizzou team’s 30-win season this year. 

“It’s special,” Jackson said, the Post-Dispatch reported. “Unfortunately, we’re in 2023 talking about breaking glass ceilings when it comes to those types of things. Hopefully, as I stated last year (at Memphis), we get ourselves in the position where that’s not such a big deal.”

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