Jackson McLaughlin joined the Hillsdale College men's basketball staff in the summer of 2025 as an assistant coach, bringing energy, enthusiasm and a deep understanding of the game to the position.

Originally from Davenport, Iowa on the Mississippi River, McLaughlin comes to Hillsdale from Augustana University, a Division II institution in Sioux Falls, South Dakota that plays in the rugged Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, one of the top basketball leagues in NCAA DII. McLaughlin was a graduate assistant for the Vikings for the 2024-25 campaign, serving a variety of roles for the Vikings, including directing the team's recruiting efforts, arranging team travel, assisting with film breakdown and executing individual player skill workouts, among a variety of coaching, operations and administrative tasks.

Prior to his time at Augustana, McLaughlin served for four seasons as a student manager at the University of Iowa under then-head coach Fran McCafferty, working on the inside of an elite NCAA Division I program with future NBA players Keegan and Kris Murray, Luka Garza and Joe Wieskamp, and helping the Hawkeyes make NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022 and 2023.

"Jackson is a great addition to our program," Bradley said. "He really stood out to us in the hiring process and in the couple of weeks he's been on campus, he's already proven to be a driven, hard working and organized coach.

"His commitment and constant effort will directly benefit our student-athletes in many positive areas."

McLaughlin graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, where he played basketball for three seasons.