TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — In the midst of hiring Rob Vaughn, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne imparted a piece of advice for his brand-new baseball coach.
"You need someone who knows what sweet tea and grits are."
Byrne imparted that same piece of wisdom to Nate Oats when he was hired in 2015, prompting the new basketball coach to keep Antoine Pettway on his staff. Before Byrne could suggest a name to Vaughn, the newly-hired baseball coach made it clear he wanted to retain interim head coach Jason Jackson.
"It was a no-brainer," Vaughn said. "My conversation with Greg was we have to do whatever we have to do to make sure that guy doesn't leave."
Tuesday, when Vaughn was introduced as the team's new head coach, Byrne also announced that Jackson was given a two-year extension in addition to his new job title as associate head coach which was announced on Monday.
It's unclear if the Alabama assistant was one of the 27 coaches Byrne said he considered for the head coaching vacancy. However, Jackson is clearly viewed as a crucial piece to the puzzle for the future of Alabama baseball.
"Jackson did a great job with the task at hand," Byrne said. "When we started heading down this path with Rob, (he) knew that was something we wanted to try to have the two of them together."
During his introductory press conference, Vaughn preached that his tenure at Alabama was going to be about building "relationships" and "an amazing culture" something that he praised Jackson for already building with the Crimson Tide in 2022.
With Jackson at the helm, Alabama went 13-6, leading the program to host an NCAA regional for the first time since 2006. After sweeping the Tuscaloosa Regional, the Crimson Tide advanced to super regionals for the first time since 2010 before it was swept by Wake Forest.
"I want to build on what this group has done so far," Vaughn said. "They've laid the foundation of what it looks like to be successful. They've laid the foundation of the expectations for everybody that walks through these doors."
In order for Vaughn, Jackson and the rest of the coaching staff to do that, they'll have to deal with losing players to graduation, the MLB Draft and the transfer portal before getting a chance to build on the foundation laid by the 2022 team. It marks the beginning of a transformational period for the program that experienced its highest level of success in more than a decade, but uncertainty surrounding the roster leaves question marks for where the team is going to go.
Vaughn said he's going to rely heavily on the associate head coach especially early on.
"I think it just expedites," Vaughn said. "It's going to get us moving because recruiting is all about relationships, that's just the reality of it. Recruiting is developing relationships so when they have players they're reaching out to you saying 'Hey I have a guy.' That doesn't happen overnight and having a guy like JJ, I think that expedites that.
"There's talent in that locker room, there's talent coming in next year, and it's our job to capture, make them believe and start coaching them up. Having a guy like (Jackson) stick around, does nothing but expedite that."
