Nation’s No. 25 overall prospect Jackson has UVA in final seven, likes Bennett’s ability to get him to NBA

By Jerry Ratcliffe

One of the nation’s top point guards for the recruiting class of 2023 said today that Virginia is in his top seven as basketball recruiting begins to heat up again.

Elmarko Jackson, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound 4-star, ranked the No. 25 overall player in the country for his class (according to On3 consensus), is also rated the No. 4 point guard in the nation for ‘23.

Jackson announced his top seven schools, and dates for visits for all but one. His final seven: Virginia, Villanova, Miami, Kansas, Notre Dame, Texas and UCLA.

Jackson has designs on playing in the NBA, and wasn’t shy when talking to On3’s Joe Tipton on how he thought Virginia coach Tony Bennett could help him get there.

“Coach Bennett is a really good coach,” Jackson told Tipton. “He played at the highest level in the NBA where I want to play. He played point guard (Charlotte Hornets), the same position as me. I feel like he’s got the knowledge more so in that type of field than some of the other coaches have when it comes to getting to the NBA at that point guard spot.”

Jackson has only taken one official visit thus far, to Miami, and will be at Kansas this weekend, Texas the following week, then Notre Dame on Oct. 30. Virginia will get the final visit, but that date is yet to be determined.

Virginia hosts North Carolina for football on Nov. 5, which is a possibility because the Cavaliers have often hosted visits on a home football weekend.

Jackson said he will likely announce his commitment in mid-November, so that would be good timing if he chooses UVA.

2023 Top-25 PG Elmarko Jackson is down to seven schools, he tells @On3Recruits.

He goes in depth on each program, including his upcoming official visits, what he’s looking for in a school, and a timeline for a decision.

Read: https://t.co/xOiNqntSbM pic.twitter.com/Sebq7ACcH9

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 21, 2022

He seemed to like perhaps a new direction in Virginia’s offense that hasn’t been announced by Bennett publicly at this point.

“Virginia is changing their offense, kind of like a more European-type of offense,” Jackson shared with Tipton. “The way they come off for screens and stuff like that. And just like defensively, how they get after it. They’re a very aggressive defensive team.”

Jackson said he is looking for a program where the coaches push the players and where everyone involved is locked into winning. He also said that NIL will play a role in his choice, but that it won’t be the biggest factor.

For a complete list of UVA recruiting commits, targets and offers, see chart below: