STARKVILLE — Trey Jackson’s path to Mississippi State, his path back home, has been far from linear.

The son of two first-generation college graduates, Jackson moved to Starkville in 2015 when his mother, Christine Jackson, took a job as the assistant athletic director of academics at MSU. Trey was entering eighth grade at the time, and before long he established himself as a star on the basketball court at Starkville High on a team that went a combined 56-3 over his junior and senior seasons, winning MHSAA Class 6A state titles in both years.

“Winning my first state championship, definitely I’ll always remember that,” Jackson said. “That feels like a different lifetime ago, but at the same time, I don’t forget any of the milestones that came before.”

Jackson closed out his high school career with a bang, scoring 16 points and grabbing five rebounds as the Yellow Jackets repeated as state champions. His coach at Starkville was former Bulldogs standout Greg Carter, who won a Southeastern Conference title at MSU in 1991. But despite his team’s success, Jackson was not heavily recruited to play at the next level, playing his freshman year at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

After averaging just 2.4 points per game in 14 appearances in Senatobia during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, Jackson returned closer to home, playing at Mississippi University for Women in 2021-22. The Owls had just hired Dean Burrows as head coach as they prepared to make the jump to an NCAA Division III program.

“I just remember one of the first few days of me getting into Columbus and getting into the office, Trey being one of the first ones to come by the office and introduce himself,” Burrows said. “That stood out to me. Very good first impression. Very well-mannered.”

Jackson was solid but hardly spectacular at The W, starting 13 of the 16 games he played in for a team that finished 3-15. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, though he did start the year strong with three straight games in double-digit scoring.

“He could sit down and guard a little bit defensively,” Burrows said. “He struggled shooting the ball early on but did work at it, more so than most that I recall from that year. Good body on him, was able to get on the glass and do some of those things.”

Following a year at Mississippi Delta Community College, Jackson enrolled at MSU and joined the Bulldogs as a walk-on for the 2023-24 season, though he did not see any game action. He did practice with the team and continued to be a high performer in the classroom, earning a spot on the SEC first-year academic honor roll while majoring in business administration.

Now in his final year playing for head coach Chris Jans, Jackson has appeared in five games, the last of which was the SEC opener against South Carolina on Jan. 4. He recorded a steal in the season opener against West Georgia, and four days later against Georgia State, Jackson played four minutes, pulled down two rebounds and earned a trip to the foul line, where he made one of two free throws for his first — and so far only — point as a Bulldog.

Jackson said his role on the team is to support his teammates and give them advice and guidance on and off the court, drawing on his experience playing at different levels.

“It’s been great to have Trey (be) a part of our organization,” Jans said. “He is responsible and trustworthy and comes to work every day and is ready to do whatever we need him to do. He definitely has responsibilities at various times in our practices. Not that it matters in the big picture, but it matters to me and hopefully matters to him, he’s gotten a lot better. His game has improved.”

Before MSU’s final home game against Texas on Mar. 4, Jackson was honored alongside his senior classmates Claudell Harris Jr. and RJ Melendez. Christine was by his side for the Senior Night ceremony, as were his brothers Reese and Rashawn.

It’s unlikely that Jackson will see the floor as the Bulldogs play in their third straight NCAA Tournament, starting with a first-round game Friday against Baylor. But he has still achieved his dream of playing for the SEC team in his hometown.

“It’s almost like an out-of-body experience, but it’s definitely a blessing. My experience has been great. My coaches have been great, all my teammates have really taken me in, and being at home, it feels double the love,” Jackson said. “Family is very important to me, so having my mom and my family with me on Senior Night, her also being an employee (of MSU), it’s just another full-circle moment for me and my family.”