Syracuse basketball offers 5-star guard, No. 2 player nationally in his class

Syracuse basketball coaches had reportedly been showing interest in 2024 five-star guard Ian Jackson of late, and that interest has now turned into a formal scholarship offer.

Alex Karamanos, a high-school hoops analyst and scout, noted in a tweet that the ‘Cuse coaching staff has offered the 6-foot-6 Jackson, who recently wrapped up a stellar sophomore season for Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y.

In AAU events, Jackson suits up for the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids, which competes on the Adidas circuit.

Jackson is a top-flight prospect in the 2024 cycle. Multiple national recruiting analysts and scouts have recently said that Jackson is a significant contender for the No. 1 overall rating in this class.

Syracuse basketball will face steep competition for five-star guard Ian Jackson.

According to recruiting services, media reports and Jackson’s own Twitter page, his other offers include from Kansas, UCLA, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, UConn, Nebraska, Kansas State and Bryant.

Recent reports suggest that Jackson is garnering interest from teams such as Duke, Kentucky, Florida State, Virginia, Oregon and Tennessee.

As we noted in a column earlier this week, Jackson was recently named the national sophomore of the year for the 2021-22 campaign, according to an article from Jordan Divens, the MaxPreps national basketball editor.

In the 2021-22 season for a top-10 Cardinal Hayes squad, Jackson averaged 19.8 points, five rebounds and four assists per game. Those are excellent numbers.

The primary recruiting services all rank Jackson as a five-star player in the 2024 class.

Both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and 247Sports place Jackson at No. 2 nationwide, No. 1 at shooting guard and No. 1 in New York. Over at Rivals.com, Jackson checks in at No. 3 across the country.

ESPN has him at No. 4 nationally, No. 3 at small forward and No. 1 in New York. On3 rates Jackson at No. 2 overall, No. 1 at shooting guard and No. 1 in New York.

Finally, the On3 Consensus ranks him at No.  2 nationwide, No. 1 at shooting guard and No. 1 in New York.

I’m really pumped to see that Syracuse basketball has offered Jackson. I’ll understand if some of my fellow Orange fans think that the ‘Cuse has only a small chance to win out here, but I credit the team for getting into the recruiting fray for Jackson.