Class of 2023 Guard Elmarko Jackson Picks Up UCLA Men's Basketball Offer
The Bruins have become the latest team to join the race for a fast-rising East Coast guard.
Class of 2023 recruit Elmarko Jackson earned an offer from UCLA men's basketball, the prospect announced Wednesday night on Twitter. The 6-foot-4 combo guard from New Jersey recently transferred from Academy of the New Church (PA) to South Kent School (CT) – the same high school that produced NBA guards Isaiah Thomas and Dion Waiters, among others.
Jackson's recruitment has been active for over two years at this point, but he has started to garner the most national interest just over the past few months.
The first school to offer Jackson was Rider, all the way back in March of 2020. Seton Hall and Cal were the next to jump on board, also offering Jackson during his freshman year.
Jackson had a surge of offers come in the spring of his sophomore year, with Ole Miss, LaSalle, Bryant, VCU, Maryland, Minnesota, Miami (FL), Penn State and St. John's all offering over a three-month span. No other schools offered Jackson through the midpoint of his junior season, but he started to draw plenty of attention when the evaluation periods opened in April.
Syracuse, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, DePaul, Pitt, Nebraska, Rutgers, Virginia, LSU, Kansas, Michigan, Texas, Indiana, Villanova, Louisville and Ohio State all offered Jackson over the past few months, with UCLA coming in as his 31st Division I offer.
Although he has yet to take any official visits or narrow down his list of suitors, Jackson told All Syracuse in June that he was planning to announce his commitment mid-fall.
Jackson averaged 17.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block per game for Academy of the New Church this past season on 47/35/80 shooting splits.
Unlike many of UCLA's other class of 2023 targets, Jackson plays on the Under Armour AAU circuit rather than the Nike EYBL. Jackson won MVP at the Under Armour Future 60 camp at IMG Academy in June, and he has spent this spring and summer starring for We R1.
Jackson is a four-star prospect, according to 247Sports, ESPN and On3, although he has three stars from Rivals. In the 247Sports Composite rankings, Jackson stands as the No. 3 recruit in Connecticut, the No. 17 combo guard in the country and the No. 90 overall prospect in his class.
UCLA does not have any 2023 commits at the moment, and that's despite as many as eight scholarship spots being open next offseason. Coach Mick Cronin's staff has now sent out 29 offers, with 20 of those prospects still remaining on the board.
Six of the nine guards the Bruins have offered have already committed elsewhere, though, leaving Jackson, five-star Isaiah Collier and four-star Chris Johnson as the team's top remaining backcourt targets.
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