Syracuse Basketball: Can SU land visit from 5-star contacted for $1M NIL?

Five-star guard Ian Jackson, a serious candidate for the top overall spot in the 2024 class, holds a Syracuse basketball scholarship offer, but I’m not getting the sense that the Orange is a significant contender for him these days.

Then again, I’m not a recruiting analyst, and a few weeks ago, I didn’t think the ‘Cuse would make the cut for 2024 five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau, and he ultimately put the Orange in his top six.

So my point here is, you never know with this recruiting stuff. At least I don’t. In the case of the 6-foot-6 Jackson, a top-flight player from New York City, he recently discussed his official visits during his junior year, and I didn’t see a mention of Syracuse basketball.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Orange is out of the running for Jackson, who was named a preseason first-team All-American ahead of the 2022-23 campaign by MaxPreps and is a standout for Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, N.Y.

Syracuse basketball offered a scholarship to five-star guard Ian Jackson back in April.

In a recent piece by 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, Jackson dished on his three recent official visits to Kentucky, Oregon and LSU.

London wrote that Jackson has an upcoming official visit planned to North Carolina on January 6 of next year, but the elite 2024 guard doesn’t have any other trips lined up at this juncture.

He is afforded five official visits in his junior year by the NCAA, and Jackson can also take unofficial visits.

A couple of things to note here. In late May, Jackson told Stockrisers.com founder Jake Weingarten that Syracuse basketball was among the schools heavily involved in his recruitment at that time.

Additionally, in September, as the fall recruiting period commenced, media reports said that the Orange coaching staff was in attendance for one or more open gyms at Cardinal Hayes to watch Jackson and his teammate, 2024 four-star shooting guard Elijah Moore, who took an official visit to the Hill in mid-October.

In grassroots basketball, Jackson is a member of the Bronx, N.Y.-based Wiz Kids in the Adidas league. Over the summer, he played for a USA Basketball national team that captured the gold medal at the FIBA U17 World Cup in Málaga, Spain.

Besides the ‘Cuse, Jackson’s offer sheet includes Kentucky, which has analyst buzz for him on a couple of recruiting Web sites, North Carolina, LSU, Arkansas, Pittsburgh, Kansas, UCLA, Oregon, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, Connecticut, Nebraska, Kansas State and Bryant.

I haven’t seen any specific timetables for when Jackson would like to make his commitment decision, so his recruiting process could have a way to go.

While Syracuse basketball coaches have been in pursuit of him at one point or another, I do not know if mutual interest still exists between the Orange and Jackson.

If the ‘Cuse does continue to target him in the 2024 class, it would prove important for Syracuse basketball coaches to get him to Central New York for an official visit or at least an unofficial visit.

As we discussed in a column at the beginning of November, businessman and top SU booster Adam Weitsman has reached out to Jackson to discuss his $1 million name, image and likeness opportunities. Weitsman told me that he has spoken to someone in Jackson’s camp to gauge potential interest.

Having already taken official visits to Kentucky, Oregon and LSU, and with one to UNC on the calendar, if somehow, someway, Syracuse basketball could secure that fifth official visit from Jackson during his junior year, perhaps that could enable the Orange to emerge as a viable contender for this top-three national prospect.