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Ian Jackson picks UNC over Calipari, Kentucky | Locked On College Basketball

Jackson chose UNC over John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, where most believed he would end up. Arkansas, LSU, and Oregon rounded out his top five.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In a seemingly last minute reversal Ian Jackson, the No. 2 ranked prospect in the class of 2024, announced his commitment to join the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday.

Jackson chose UNC over John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, where most believed he would end up. Arkansas, LSU, and Oregon rounded out his top five.

Jackson’s decision came as a surprise to many, but North Carolina has always been excellent at hosting official visits, and it looks like that paid off big time for coach Hubert Davis and his team.

“I’ve always maintained that a visit can change the world,” Locked on recruiting insider Jason Jordan said on the Locked on College Basketball podcast. “A great visit can change the landscape of where people are leaning..it can change everything.”

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Jackson cited the family atmosphere at UNC when explaining his decision, describing the visit as “way different than any other visit I've been on”. 

Jackson is a six-four combo guard who comes in at No. 2 in the Class of 2024 rankings at 247Sports. He is close with Elliot Cadeau, another five-star in the class of 2024 who is already committed to the Tar Heels.

North Carolina already had the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in 2024, but continuing to add talent to their program is a huge step forward for Davis - and will continue to pay dividends for this program going forward.

“This is huge, yes, but it’s huge on levels that even fans don’t understand,” Jordan continued. “The nuances on how this will register with recruits, it’s huge.”

“At the end of the day, Hubert Davis is a bad, bad man”.

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