Syracuse Basketball: 5-star PG target making strong case for No. 1 ranking

Syracuse basketball 2025 recruiting target Tyler Jackson from Baltimore had himself some kind of weekend on the AAU circuit.

The 6-foot-3 Jackson, ranked five stars, top 10 nationally and the No. 1 point guard across the country per ESPN, led the Nike EYBL league’s 16U division in scoring over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, as the EYBL held its fourth and final regular-season session at the Memphis Sports & Events Center in Memphis, Tenn.

In late April, Jackson was a key contributor for the Baltimore-based Team Thrill, as that top-flight AAU program won the 16U spring championship in the Under Armour Association league.

Last weekend, though, Jackson shifted gears and moved on over to the EYBL, where he was sensational in competing for the Baltimore-based Team Melo alongside another priority recruit for the Orange, 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony out of New York City.

Syracuse basketball 2025 five-star PG recruit Tyler Jackson is a top prospect in his class.

In Memphis, Jackson played in four games as Team Melo went 2-2 in those encounters. According to the EYBL Web site, Jackson averaged 30.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 29.3 minutes per affair.

On high-volume shooting, he connected on 50.6 percent from the field, an impressive 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.1 percent from the free-throw line. Here are Jackson’s game-by-game statistics in Memphis:

Game One: 39 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks
Game Two: 36 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block, 2 steals
Game Three: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
Game Four: 30 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

During this EYBL fourth session, Jackson led the 16U division in scoring by roughly three points per contest. Coming in at No. 2 was 2025 five-star power forward Cooper Flagg, who runs with Maine United and is a rising junior at the powerhouse Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla.

As a sophomore in the 2022-23 season for the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Jackson was named to the Baltimore Catholic League’s All-Conference second team. This past term, the Panthers claimed the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (“MIAA”) A Conference title.

In late April, Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Jackson. His early offer sheet also includes teams such as Kansas, Alabama, Maryland, Illinois, Rutgers, Seton Hall, DePaul, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Rhode Island, Houston, Penn State and UCF, among others.

Lately, in several interviews, Jackson has said that he would like to take a visit to the Hill at some point in the future.

Multiple recruiting services rate him as a top-20 national prospect in the 2025 class. Respectfully, that sort of ranking is too low. When I penned this column, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking placed Jackson at No. 20 overall, No. 3 at point guard and No. 1 in Maryland within the sophomore cycle.

In its latest 2025 ratings, ESPN had Jackson at No. 9 nationally, No. 1 at point guard and No. 1 in Maryland. After what Tyler Jackson did this past weekend on the AAU circuit, my personal take is that he’s making a strong case for consideration as the No. 1 overall prospect in his class.