By now you may have heard the name Andre Jackson. He’s a high priority recruit in the class of 2020 for Syracuse from right nearby in Albany.
A little over two weeks ago, Jim Boeheim took an in home visit to Jackson’s home. The four-star forward then followed up by visiting Boeheim’s home (kinda) this past weekend and taking an official visit to campus.
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It goes without saying that Jackson would be a huge get for the program. He’s the top player in the state right now and 38th rated player in the latest version of the ESPN 60 for the class of 2020. But, it’s not just his rankings and 6-6 zone-busting frame that makes him appealing. He protects home turf and sets the tone for an important and likely selective class.
Jackson plays with the Albany City Rocks on the AAU circuit. That might sound familiar because it’s the same team as 2019 commit Joe Girard III and of course, Buddy Boehiem, to name just a few Syracuse connections. Between that connection, the aggressive and early nature of his recruiting and the uniqueness of this class, Jackson would both be a huge get if Syracuse does land him and a huge miss if he takes his talents out of state.
This 2020 recruiting class can‚Äôt be another deep five player class like ‚Äò19. There are right now no scholarship seniors on the roster next year. With Hughes and potentially Brissett–assuming he even comes back being really–the only two players that could feasibly make the leap to the NBA next year, it‚Äôs not looking like many openings for the 2020 class (Maybe you could make the case for Carey too) Still, SU may not be able to convince many high-rated recruits to come and join a potential log-jam at their position.
Jackson is the perfect recruit for this class though. He gives you a likely top 50 guy and his position, forward, might be the one with the biggest need after this year, considering Hughes and Brissett could very well be gone. He has ties to the program and there has been mutual interest from day one. In recent years SU has been criticized for missing out on the likes of local guys like Ty Jerome and Kevin Huerter. If Jackson comes, he could pair with his former AAU teammate, Girard, and give Syracuse a bright future.
2020 SF Andre Jackson with the City Rocks @ Fab 48! @andrejackson111 pic.twitter.com/rLZApwS8vm
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) July 31, 2018
On 247sports.com’s crystal ball prediction, all six experts have Jackson going to the Orange right now. It’s early though and the crystal ball has definitely been wrong before. Regardless, this one feels like the stars have aligned for Syracuse, which makes it even more important they wrap him up.
