Jahzare Jackson was part of one of the top junior basketball leagues in the country, but on Monday, he committed to one of college football’s premier programs.
Jackson, who stands 6-foot-11, will play offensive tackle at recent two-time national champion Georgia.
Jackson played in Overtime Elite, the league founded in 2021 for 16- to 20-year-old basketball prospects to have an alternative path to the NBA.
He even entered the NBA draft that took place just last month. When it was clear he’d go undrafted, Jackson evaluated his options. He had played football up until his early high school years, at which point a growth spurt made him focus on pursuing basketball.
Jackson started taking visits in June and chose Georgia over Florida State, Florida, Mississippi State and Arkansas.
“I fell in love with the coaches,” Jackson said in a social media video posted by Overtime Elite. “I fell in love with the school. Players were welcoming when I got there. And I’m still in Georgia, too, at the end of the day. I feel like that was a big thing for me, still, being able to be in Georgia.”
Overtime Elite is based in Atlanta.
He told ESPN he currently weighs 340 pounds. He will enroll at Georgia next month and start to get practice reps with a goal of competing for starting snaps in 2025.
“I’m excited by it, I’m ready to embrace the process and get better at the end of the day,” Jackson told The Athletic. “I trust my athletic abilities to get me there and to handle my business at the end of the day.”
–Field Level Media
