With how well the 2021-2022 season is going for Auburn basketball, it’s easy to forget that the coaching staff is still working on recruiting for the class of 2023.
The Tigers already won a share of this year’s SEC Championship, and they managed to secure the title outright with a win over the South Carolina Gamecocks earlier today in the newly-dedicated Neville Arena.
Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler will likely move on from the Plains to the NBA following this season, and Bruce Pearl and his staff are already working to craft their next great team. Last week, 5-star power forward Gregory “G.G.” Jackson announced that the Tigers are one of his top six programs in consideration.
Top 6. pic.twitter.com/RFYtAO7oDz
— Gregory “GG” Jackson (@_ggjackson) March 4, 2022
The other schools in contention for the 5-star are Duke, Georgetown, UNC, and South Carolina, rounded off with consideration for the NBA G-League.
G.G. Jackson is currently ranked as the #8 overall player and the #3 power forward in the recruiting class of 2023, as well as the #1 player out of the state of South Carolina. The 6’9″ athlete helped lead his team to the Class 5A State Championship just last week.
Jackson has already taken official visits to Duke, North Carolina, and his hometown school South Carolina, and according to On3 Sports, the power forward’s father came away very impressed with the visit with the Gamecocks:
"“Their whole message is to stay home and celebrate at home,” the elder Jackson said. “It’s all right to make everyone else look good, but what about home? He can really turn the corner on men’s basketball just like A’ja Wilson did. She got a chance to speak to him and it could really make a big difference on the boy’s side.”"
Despite the hometown allure, UNC is reportedly the favorite to land G.G. Jackson. We can expect him to make a final decision in the next two to three weeks, and it’s possible he could end up with Auburn basketball.