Syracuse Basketball: Recruiting insiders predict 5-star target will pick UNC

Syracuse basketball 2023 five-star target G.G. Jackson recently took a second trip to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team North Carolina, and the Tar Heels are getting some buzz as it pertains to the 6-foot-8 Jackson, according to recruiting experts.

When I penned this column on Wednesday evening, at least two projections had been made in the direction of UNC for Jackson by recruiting insiders on the 247Sports Web site and Rivals.com.

Now, these sorts of predictions have to get taken with a grain of salt, because the recruitments of high-school prospects can ebb and flow. They can also change quite rapidly one way or another.

That being said, I fully expect the Tar Heels to be a significant contender for Jackson, who is a junior at Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C., and has seen his stock absolutely explode in recent months.

Syracuse basketball faces steep competition for five-star G.G. Jackson.

As we’ve noted on more than one occasion, the ‘Cuse coaching staff was the first to offer a scholarship to Jackson, with that offer coming in August of 2020.

But since that time, Jackson has compiled a ridiculous offer list, with suitors including Kansas, Virginia, Florida State, Duke, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, LSU, N.C. State, Maryland, Georgetown, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and Boston College.

According to media reports, Jackson recently took an official visit to UNC’s campus in Chapel Hill. He also made an unofficial visit to North Carolina over the summer, per reports.

In a recent interview with Rivals.com national analyst Jamie Shaw, Jackson detailed that he has visited, besides the Tar Heels, South Carolina, Clemson, Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Wake Forest.

It would prove terrific if he ultimately traveled to the Hill for a visit at some point. We’ll have to wait and see on that. Frankly, I don’t have a great feeling about the Orange’s chances with Jackson.

Multiple recruiting services have updated their 2023 national rankings of late, and Jackson has arrived in the top-10 across the country according to numerous of these recruiting Web sites.

There would be no shame if Syracuse basketball lost out on Jackson to an elite team such as North Carolina. The Tar Heels are recruiting at a high level these days.

Not too long ago, for example, ‘Cuse 2023 five-star target Simeon Wilcher verbally committed to UNC. The 6-foot-4 Wilcher, a stellar combo guard and a consensus top-20 prospect in this cycle, is a junior at Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, N.J.