GG Jackson Commits to North Carolina
On Wednesday, April 27, GG Jackson, one of the top players in the class of 2023, chose North Carolina over Duke, Auburn, South Carolina, UMass, and Georgetown (plus a few others that tried to jump in late). He also considered the G League Ignite option.
Jackson made his announcement in an afternoon press conference from his Columbia, South Carolina high school (Ridge View).
The 6'9" power forward was considered a heavy Carolina lean, particularly after Frank Martin was out at South Carolina (Jackson's home state). Seemingly another factor was the sheer amount of players who had recently committed to Duke.
UNC has long been a player in Jackson's committment, however a visit in South Carolina from the Tar Heel coaching staff (specifically Hubert Davis and Jeff Lebo) in the lead-up to the Final Four really impressed the young man. Additionally, the Carolina coaching staff has shown up to all Jackson's AAU games.
Coming off the Final Four run and getting four of five starters back, the Tar Heels will be highly ranked coming into the 2022-23 season. Combine that with a strong 2022 class plus Simeon Wilcher and GG Jackson in the class of 2023 and Hubert Davis' squad should be in good shape for years to come.
Jackson is currently No. 1 in the class of 2023 at both Rivals and On3, No. 5 in 247Sports' composite rankings, and No. 6 on the ESPN charts. The assumption is that he will rise in the rankings at the sites in which he doesn't currently sit atop the rankings.
Will Hubert Davis and his staff add more recruits to the 2023 class to join Jackson and Wilcher? Many point to Matas Buzelis as a prime candidate; a young man whom Jackson and Wilcher are both campaigning for.
There had been speculation that Jackson might re-classify to 2023, but he has shut down those rumors.
