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Class of 2024 five-star shooting guard Ian Jackson announced his commitment to the University of North Carolina on Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• The 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard is the No. 2 recruit in the class behind uncommitted Tre Johnson, per the 247Sports Composite Rating. Jackson is the first top-five player in the class to announce his commitment.
• Kentucky and Arkansas were the other finalists to land the Cardinal Hayes High (Bronx, N.Y.) junior.
• Jackson joins three other commits to UNC’s 2024 class, which was previously headlined by five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What Jackson brings to UNC

Jackson has a legitimate argument as the No. 1 player in the 2024 class, so there isn’t much he can’t do. But any scouting report on him begins with his driving ability, which makes Jackson one of the best attacking players in all of high school basketball. He’s lightning-quick attacking the rim, and at 6-foot-4, has the size to finish once he gets there. Jackson is increasingly comfortable as a shooter, too — especially in the midrange — although North Carolina will want to surround him with shooters to open up proper driving lanes.

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Defensively, Jackson is athletic enough to provide on-ball pressure guarding multiple positions and should fit well with the multiple coverages that UNC coach Hubert Davis employs. He’s a day-one starter at the high-major level, without a doubt. — Marks and Tucker

How does Jackson fit at UNC?

This is where things get interesting. UNC already has a commitment from Cadeau, one of Jackson’s close friends and a key reason he chose the Tar Heels in the first place. Those two, at least in theory, fit well together in the backcourt, although they’ll need shooters around them to provide proper spacing. But for as good as both Cadeau and Jackson are, there’s something of a backcourt logjam forming in Chapel Hill.

First, start with the present. Junior R.J. Davis, the Tar Heels’ leading 3-point shooter, still has two seasons of eligibility remaining after this year and is poised to become the team’s top scoring option next season. There’s also freshman Seth Trimble, a defensive bulldog and athletic freak, who should be back in the fold as more of a pass-first point guard. (Sophomore D’Marco Dunn technically is part of the equation, too, although he can play up as more of an off-ball wing, too.) Then there’s four-star combo guard Simeon Wilcher, the crown jewel of the 2023 recruiting class, who will enroll in Chapel Hill this summer. That’s a lot of guards to account for, even if coach Hubert Davis continues developing the three-guard lineup he’s favored of late.

And one more potential situation to consider: What happens if Cadeau wants to reclassify to 2023? (Jackson reiterated Monday he is staying in the Class of 2024.)

That’s a lot for Davis and his staff to manage, but it’s a better problem than needing backcourt bodies and not having enough. Still, it’s easy to see someone in that bunch becoming disgruntled over playing time or a reduced role, which is absolutely something to monitor. — Marks and Tucker

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What landing Jackson says about UNC’s recruiting under Davis

The G.G. Jackson situation last summer left a bad taste in UNC fans’ mouths, and quite frankly, introduced some doubt about Davis’ ability to land high-profile commitments. (Neither of his first two recruiting classes, in 2021 or 2022, featured a five-star prospect — and depending on what happens with Wilcher’s final ranking, the 2023 class might not, either.) That isn’t to say UNC isn’t still getting good players, but just not the elite, five-star, potential one-and-done type of kids.

Cadeau’s commitment several weeks ago started to change that perception, but landing Jackson is one of the most significant recruiting wins for UNC in quite some time. Why?

One, it proves Davis can land that caliber of recruits, something that hasn’t always been the case at North Carolina over the last decade or so. But secondly, it proves that Davis’ style of recruiting — focused on interpersonal relationships, his own NBA pedigree and a guard-friendly offensive system — can still work in the modern recruiting world.

“Just the family atmosphere. It was different than any other visit I had,” Jackson said Monday.

For as much as you hear about one-and-done pipelines at Duke and Kentucky, or egregious NIL deals at other schools, Davis landing Jackson on the strength of his personality and the atmosphere around his program speaks volumes. — Marks and Tucker

Required reading

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)

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