Kansas scored its third top-100 commitment in as many months on Thursday as four-star guard prospect Elmarko Jackson, the No. 18 overall player at 247Sports and the fourth-ranked point guard prospect in the 2023 class, committed to the Jayhawks in a decision announced on the 247Sports YouTube channel. Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound prospect from South Kent School in Connecticut, chose KU over a lengthy list of suitors that included Texas, Maryland, Notre Dame and Miami.
“It’s pretty hard to beat,” he said of Kansas. “The coaching staff is great, the winning track record is great. Coach (Bill) Self and his staff are top tier. For me, going to college, I don’t want to be that guy that averages 30 and the team loses. I want to be the guy who contributes hard good minutes and helps a team win. I feel like Kansas gives me a a great opportunity to do that, to go deep to the Final Four and develop as a player.”
Interest in Jackson exploded in the summer months with seven offers during June and seven during July. Kansas was one of the last of those to enter the mix with its offer coming in mid-July, but Self and his staff made ground up quickly first by landing him on an official visit last month then on Thursday with officially securing his verbal commitment.
Kansas had the No. 20 overall class in the 2023 recruiting cycle and skyrocketed up to No. 8 with the addition of Jackson. The third of three guard commitments, he is the highest-ranked player of the cycle to date, joining four-star guards Chris Johnson and Jamari McDowell.
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