Written by Rhea Alison, Sports reporter, covering amateur and collegiate athletics since 2020.

A Historic "30-25" Campaign for the Ages

Daniel Jackson—affectionately nicknamed "Rhino" by his teammates and the Athens faithful—put together a season that scouts and historians will be talking about for decades. The junior backstop swept the SEC Triple Crown categories during conference play, registering a staggering .396 batting average alongside 31 home runs and 86 RBIs to easily lock up the 2026 SEC Player of the Year honors.

When factoring in the entirety of the Bulldogs' rigorous schedule, Jackson’s overall triple-slash line settled at an elite .379/.473/.803. But what truly sets his 2026 campaign apart is his unique blend of raw power and elite athleticism.

NCAA Division I Baseball History: The 30 HR / 25 SB Club• Player 1: Ty White (1998)• Player 2: J.D. Drew (1997)• Player 3: Daniel Jackson (2026) *First catcher in history to achieve this feat

Swiping 26 bags on the year, Jackson became only the third player in NCAA Division I history—and the first-ever full-time catcher—to record a 30-plus home run and 25-plus stolen base season. His historic 5-tool execution powered the Bulldogs to a dominant 53-14 overall record (23-7 in SEC play), carrying them through the Athens Regional and Super Regional all the way to the College World Series in Omaha, where they were eventually eliminated by the national champion Oklahoma Sooners. Along with the Golden Spikes, Jackson clean-swept the postseason awards circuit, also taking home the prestigious Dick Howser Trophy and the Buster Posey Award.

Overcoming Elite Finalists in the Award Race

The voting body faced an incredibly difficult task given the historic production of the other two finalists, who pushed Jackson to the wire.

Shortstop Roch Cholowsky of UCLA entered the spring as the consensus preseason favorite for the award and the projected No. 1 overall pick for the upcoming MLB Draft. The dynamic infielder hit .320/.452/.636 with 21 home runs, leading the Bruins to a stellar 52-8 record and the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament before a shocking regional upset by Saint Mary's. Arizona State's Landon Hairston served as the third finalist, a pure power threat who belted 28 home runs for the Sun Devils while leading the entire nation with a ridiculous .860 slugging percentage.

"He's the best player in the country, plain and simple. What he does behind the plate managing our staff, combined with that historic offensive production—we're witnessing a generational talent."

— Georgia Baseball Head Coach Wes Johnson on Daniel Jackson.

Jackson's victory keeps the Golden Spikes Award firmly rooted in the Southeastern Conference. He is the second Georgia Bulldog to win the award in three years, following in the footsteps of 2024 winner Charlie Condon.

Looking Ahead to the 2026 MLB Draft

With the college season officially in the rearview mirror, Jackson, Cholowsky, and Hairston are turning their full attention toward the professional ranks. The 2026 MLB Draft is scheduled to kick off on July 11, and both Golden Spikes finalists are expected to be highly coveted commodities.

While Cholowsky remains firmly in play for the top selection, Jackson is rapidly climbing up draft boards. Though MLB.com currently ranks him at No. 39 among their top prospects due to traditional catcher profiling, rival executives believe his historic athleticism and unprecedented 30-25 production could easily vault him into the middle of the first round.