GG Jackson set to reclassify, enroll at South Carolina -- not UNC

The No. 1 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus for 2023 is expected to join the Southeastern Conference this season — it just won’t be at Kentucky. Nor will it be at Tennessee, Auburn, or even Florida, for that matter.

No, five-star forward G.G. Jackson is expected to reclassify and suit up for South Carolina, flipping his commitment from North Carolina to the Gamecocks.

On3 was the first to break the news that Jackson was considering a decommitment from North Carolina back on July 3. At the time, Jamie Shaw entered an expert pick into On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) in favor of South Carolina with 40 percent confidence. He then upped his confidence to 95 percent on July 13.

The 6-foot-9 forward previously committed to North Carolina back on April 27, choosing the Tar Heels over the Gamecocks, Duke and the G-League, among others.

Now, it appears Jackson’s flip is imminent, with Travis Branham of 247Sports reporting that an announcement is expected to come in the next two weeks. He would become North Carolina’s first decommitment in school history to choose another school, with JR Smith being the only other player to back away from a pledge to UNC. He entered his name in the 2004 NBA Draft rather than enrolling in Chapel Hill.

Shaw previously reported that an announcement was expected in July, with a specific date up in the air.

“While our certainty is behind the action, the timeframe is a bit more in question,” Shaw reported. “When we first heard about Jackson’s intentions to reclassify, in May, our sources said Jackson would play in Peach Jam and then announce his decision. A couple of weeks ago, as this decision became more certain, sources told us the announcement would be made at Peach Jam.

“Last weekend we heard Jackson would announce after Peach Jam again. Early this week, the word is before Peach Jam. We say all of that to say, this is something that has been in motion for a while and an announcement will happen this month.”

Jackson would join three-star wing Zachary Davis and unranked forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford in South Carolina’s 2022 recruiting class. It’s a program that finished 18-13 overall in 2021-22, good for fifth in the SEC. The Gamecocks will be coached by Lamont Paris, who is taking over for Frank Martin in Columbia in 2022-23. He comes to South Carolina after coaching at Chattanooga from 2017-22.

Adding the No. 1 player in high school basketball isn’t a bad way to begin your coaching tenure in the SEC.