Jarred Jackson, a talented on-court player developer who previously helped Mark Madsen elevate the Utah Valley program to new heights, rejoined ‘Mad Dog’ as an assistant coach for the California men’s basketball program ahead of the 2023-24 season. He helped lead the Golden Bears through their first season as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in his second year on Madsen's Cal staff in 2024-25.
Jackson’s leadership was key piece of Cal’s 10-win improvement, which reinvigorated the program and its fan base. Cal earned its best finish in the Pac-12 Conference standings since 2016-17 with a tie for sixth place (13-19, 9-11) and its nine conference wins – each against a different opponent – included marquee victories against UCLA and NCAA Tournament squads Washington State, Oregon and Colorado.
Cal won 14 games in 2024-25 and reached the ACC Tournament second round following a double-overtime win over Virginia Tech in the opening round; the Bears became just the second No. 15 seed to win a game in the ACC Tournament. Cal went 11-6 at home – including wins over ACC foes Virginia, Florida State, Miami, NC State and Boston College – and picked up a 71-66 road win at USC in nonconference play.
Three members of Cal’s 2023 transfer class, which ranked eighth in the country (On3), went on to sign professional contracts following the 2023-24 season, highlighted by Jaylon Tyson – who was selected No. 20 overall in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers in June 2024 following an All-Pac-12 First Team selection.
The Bears restocked their roster again through the transfer portal in the 2024 offseason; 10 of Cal’s 11 scholarship newcomers came via the transfer portal and collectively ranked as the No. 12 transfer class in the country (On3). Among the 11 total scholarship newcomers were sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic (2024-25 All-ACC honorable mention; NABC All-Pacific District Team) and freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (2024-25 ACC Sixth Man of the Year; ACC All-Rookie Team).
Jackson arrived in Berkeley following one season spent on the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball staff in 2022-23. Prior to his time with the Chanticleers, Jackson helped Madsen take Utah Valley from an 11-19 mark in their first season in 2019-20 to a 20-12 record in 2021-22.
The 2021-22 season – Jackson’s third on staff at Utah Valley – saw the Wolverines finish their home slate with an impressive 11-2 record, including a 72-65 overtime win over 12th-ranked crosstown rival BYU. Utah Valley also upset Pac-12 foe Washington on the road that season.
In his second year at Utah Valley in 2020-21, Jackson helped the Wolverines to a history-making season as they won the Western Athletic Conference regular-season title. It was only the second WAC title in Utah Valley history and the first since 2013-14. The Wolverines were one of the most unselfish teams in the nation in 2020-21, ranking 11th nationally with 16.8 assists per game.
Utah Valley broke the program’s single-season team blocks record with an impressive 157 rejections in Jackson’s first season in 2019-20. Emmanuel Olojakpoke broke the single-season individual Utah Valley blocks record with 81 blocks and set the Wolverines’ single-season field goal percentage mark at 69.1%.
A total of five Utah Valley players earned All-WAC honors during Jackson’s time in Orem including Fardaws Aimaq, who was the 2021 WAC Player of the Year and two-time WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 prior to transferring to Cal in Jackson’s first year in Berkeley. Aimaq went on to lead the Pac-12 in rebounding (11.0 RPG) and was one of only six major-conference players to average a double-double in the 2023-24 season.
Jackson was the UT Arlington men’s basketball director of operations in 2018-19 after serving as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech in 2017-18, helping the Red Raiders reach the NCAA Tournament’s Elite 8. He joined the Lander University staff as an assistant coach in 2015 and helped the Bearcats to a Peach Belt Conference title and an NCAA Division II Tournament appearance for the first time in nine years.
Prior to Lander, Jackson served as the boys' basketball associate head coach and head junior varsity coach at West High School under Mike Matheson. His team reached the playoffs in two of his three seasons at WHS. During his tenure at WHS, Jackson coached, developed and mentored six all-region performers.
A two-time All-PBC selection and three-time team captain during his playing career at Lander, Jackson scored 1,388 points and made 214 three-pointers. He led the Bearcats to the 2007 PBC Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth.
Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in sociology with a minor in African-American studies from Lander in 2007. He went on to earn his master's degree in sports management and administration from Liberty University. He also earned an associate’s degree in logistics, material and supply chain management from the Community College of the Air Force.
He is married to former TyJha Corbin of Columbia, South Carolina. The couple has one son, Jace.
LAST UPDATED: March 18, 2025
