Following the departure of Mo Williams for Kentucky, Jackson State has promoted Trey Johnson from within to lead the men’s basketball program.
Jackson State athletic director Ashley Robinson announced Wednesday he was removing the interim tag from in front of Johnson’s name. Johnson had previously been asked to coach the team in the meantime after Williams left to become an assistant at Kentucky.
Johnson has served as associate head coach at Jackson State for the past four seasons and is one of the most decorated players in program history, graduating from the HBCU in 2007.
“There are not many chances you get to have one of your own lead a program, and we have that with Trey Johnson,” Robinson said. “He brings a championship pedigree as a player here at Jackson State and has won at every level as a player and coach. We are excited about the opportunity of having a former Tiger lead our men’s basketball program.”
Since returning to Jackson State ahead of the 2022-23 season, Johnson has mentored a handful of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s best players. The list includes Jordan O’Neal (2023 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year), Ken Evans Jr. (2024 SWAC Player of the Year), Dorian McMillian (2025 SWAC Freshman of the Year), and Daeshun Ruffin (2026 SWAC Player of the Year). Ruffin is also a nominee for the Howell Trophy, given out annually to the state’s top player, set to be awarded Wednesday afternoon.
Johnson previously coached at Alabama State, where he was the associate head coach for two seasons.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be chosen to lead the men’s basketball program here at my alma mater,” Johnson said. “The university is more than just a place to me. It is part of my foundation, my character, the fabric of who I am.”
Johnson – a former SWAC Player of the Year himself who led the Tigers to a SWAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006-07 – will look to lead Jackson State back to the Big Dance for the first time since that season in which he averaged 27 points per game. Two seasons ago, the Tigers were one win away from the NCAA Tournament, falling to Alabama State in the conference championship, before going 12-21 with a 10-8 conference mark in 2025-26.
“As a former student-athlete and champion here, I understand firsthand the pride, passion, and tradition that define this program and this community,” Johnson continued. “This opportunity is personal. It’s about pouring back into the same institution and city that poured so much into me, while honoring those who came before me and building something that future Tigers will be proud to carry forward.”
Johnson is the program’s all-time scoring leader and earned first-team All-SWAC honors twice, as well as an All-American nod and the Howell Trophy in 2007. He was inducted into the Jackson State Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
