Basketball phenom who switched to football commits to Georgia (original) (raw)

Jahzare Jackson, a former youth basketball sensation and teammate of Bronny James, confirmed his switch to the gridiron after committing to Georgia on Monday

Jackson announced his commitment to Georgia Monday

Acclaimed youth basketball star Jahzare Jackson has officially pledged his immovable frame to the gridiron, committing to the Georgia football program Monday morning.

Jackson first rose to prominence as the comically large pre-teen on Bronny James' North Coast Blue Chips AAU basketball team, but after confirming his switch to football last month, the 6'10, 350-pound lineman chose the Bulldogs after a spree of quick-fire official visits.

"I fell in love with the coaches, I fell in love with the school," Jackson said about Georgia in a pre-recorded video segment posted by Overtime Elite. "Players were welcoming when I got there, and I'm still in Georgia at the end of the day, I feel that was a big thing for me. But I just felt like when I got there it was home."

Jackson discovered his towering 6'10 frame — the former center has been clocked as tall as seven feet — before even graduating middle school, producing the now-famous picture of LeBron James craning his neck in conversation with the 14-year-old. For many prognosticators, this dominant size and fluid perimeter skillset blazed a direct path to the NBA, and Jackson has since come to dominate developmental league Overtime Elite with 12.1 points per game on nearly 70 percent shooting splits.

Before his AAU stardom, however, Jackson's first love was football, and the San Diego native contacted a personal trainer and began a rapid tour of Sun Belt college football powerhouses in June to prepare for his future on the gridiron. Jackson appeared at the Florida State Elite Camp on June 9 and officially toured the Tallahassee school eight days later. He also visited in-state rivals Florida on June 14 and took two more trips to Mississippi State and Georgia that same week, ultimately charmed by famed recruiting shark Kirby Smart.

Follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sport and entertainment stories.

Smart secured Jackson's commitment Monday (

Image:

Getty Images)

"He got to these laminated papers, [they] got the whole list of who got drafted in the past year," Jackson said about Smart. "Players that got drafted from Georgia are in red, and the rest are in black. And he was kind of just showing me, 'Hey son, we got five dudes that went in the league first round... if you stay here for two years, you're going to develop your first year and start your second year.'"

"He was saying: 'I can't stop you from going to the league, you're going to get a good grade and have the potential to go to the league.' He was also letting me know that he's going to get on me, he's going to coach me hard, and he's not going to treat me differently than any of his players."

The famously tall Jackson, who will enter college as a 20-year-old freshman with a 7'4 wingspan, stands out even more on the gridiron. He's the only player listed as 6'10 or higher in On3.com's 2024 recruiting class rankings and, should Smart's professional projections come true, would join Detriot Lions Dan Skipper as the only such player in the NFL.