5-star GG Jackson decommits from UNC basketball to ‘explore other options’

Five-star basketball prospect GG Jackson officially broke off his commitment to North Carolina on Thursday night.

Jackson, the 6-foot-8 forward from Ridge View High near Columbia, posted to social media his decision to decommit from the Tar Heels, saying he will “explore other options that can help me grow from a teenage boy to an adult and to put me in the best position to reach my dream goal which is the NBA.”

Those “other options” are expected to have Jackson, considered the nation’s No. 1 recruit, end up at South Carolina for new coach Lamont Paris. On3 and 247Sports have reported that Jackson will reclassify to the 2022 class and enroll at South Carolina next month in time for the 2022-23 season.

Jackson has enough high school credits to graduate early and met the necessary requirements to do so.

Sources with knowledge of Jackson’s recruitment this week told The State the move to the Gamecocks is likely and that’s a matter of when — not if — it will happen. On3 predicted with a 95% confidence level that he will end up at USC, with longshot options of him playing for G-League Ignite or Overtime Elite.

The G-League could pay Jackson a maximum salary of $500,000, but there is a good chance he could make more than that at the college level through name, image and likeness opportunities.

When Jackson will announce his next move wasn’t immediately known. He’ll be in action with CP3, his AAU team, at the annual Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta starting Sunday evening. If he chooses South Carolina, he’s not expected to sign with the Gamecocks until after the Peach Jam. The event doesn’t allow college signees to participate.

“Thank you to coach Hubert Davis and the UNC Basketball staff for recruiting me and giving me the chance to play at your university,” Jackson wrote in his social media post. “My family has stuck my my side since I was born and have been the biggest supporters in my life by guiding me in the right direction.”

Jackson originally committed to the Tar Heels on April 27 in a ceremony at his high school. He is believed to be UNC’s first decommitment of the modern era.

JR Smith committed to play at UNC in 2004 but opted to go straight to the NBA. JamesOn Curry signed to play with UNC in 2014, but his scholarship was rescinded after he pleaded guilty to drug charges. Curry ended playing at Oklahoma State.

The hometown Gamecocks were heavily recruiting Jackson well before Paris arrived as the new coach. Former head coach Frank Martin was one of the first coaches to offer Jackson a scholarship in 2020, and Jackson said USC’s dismissal of Martin affected his initial college decision.

“When South Carolina let go of coach Martin, I feel like that shifted things,” Jackson said the day he announced his commitment to UNC, “and I finally knew exactly where I wanted to go.”

Paris met with Jackson and his family before the original commitment to the Tar Heels. At the time, Jackson’s father, Greg Jackson, described Paris as “a great guy” and said he thinks the coach is “going to be very successful” at USC. GG Jackson also described the meeting favorably.

“I definitely still had interest,” Jackson said. “I wanted to hear him out to see what he could bring to the table. I didn’t want to put South Carolina just out of the mix just yet because it’s down the road from my house, so you can’t leave them out.”

“I want to thank Coach Paris for coming down and talking to me. He told me that he knew he was a little late to the party, but I still wanted to hear about him.”

Paris and his new staff have since attended some of Jackson’s AAU games with Team CP3 this summer, and the Gamecocks were present at the NBA Top 100 camp.

Jackson was named the MVP of the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 camp held in June in Orlando, Florida. His impressive performance in front of NBA personnel sparked conversation that Jackson might want to pursue a path that gets him to the pros sooner than later — that’s where reclassifying and starting college now come into play. On3Sports interviewed three NBA Draft analysts who project Jackson would be a top 15 pick in the 2023 draft.

Jackson, SC’s Gatorade Player of the Year, averaged 22.9 points, 10.9 rebounds this past season in helping the Blazers to the Class 5A championship. It was Ridge View’s fourth championship in five years.