Captain Jack is returning home and seeking to realize his pro potential after an up-and-down freshman season with the Tar Heels
One of the most accomplished high school players out of New York City in recent history is coming home.
After spending one season at North Carolina and then entering the transfer portal earlier this month, former consensus five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American Ian Jackson committed to St. John’s on Monday morning, according to multiple reports.
NEWS: North Carolina transfer guard Ian Jackson has committed to St. John’s, source tells @On3sports.
The former 5⭐️ and NYC native had eight games this season in which he scored 20 points or more. https://t.co/aq9TqeaFkg pic.twitter.com/eLCGoann5G
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 21, 2025
Raised in The Bronx, Jackson was a standout for three years at Cardinal Hayes, the same high school that produced former Rick Pitino protégé and NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn. He then transferred to Our Savior Lutheran to compete in the national high school circuit during his senior year, developing into an explosive downhill scorer with an improving jump shot.
Jackson signed with North Carolina as the eighth-best recruit in the 2024 high school class and was expected to be another one-and-done prospect picked in the first round of the NBA Draft, but he battled with inconsistency throughout his freshman season in which he started his season off the bench, caught fire and played his way into the starting lineup, then was demoted back to the bench. He averaged 15.7 points while shooting 51.1 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from three through his first 17 games, but he also had a closing stretch in his final five games in which his scoring average and shooting percentage dove to 3.4 points and 21.4 percent, respectively.
Those bouts of inconsistency throttled Jackson’s draft stock this season, but the Bronx native is still capable of bouncing back and winning over scouts again. Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports discussed what Jackson needs to do in order to take that next step in his latest scouting report of the former five-star recruit earlier this month:
“[Jackson’s] an energy giver, proven scorer, and competitive defender who just needs to learn to adapt to a more structured team setting in order to consistently be the best version of himself,” wrote Finkelstein.
St. John’s now has nine scholarship players for the 2025-26 season after a turbulent week of player movement for the Johnnies. Freshmen Jaiden Glover and Khaman Maker entered the transfer portal last Tuesday after playing minor roles in their first season of college ball, then Simeon Wilcher announced he would also enter the portal last Friday.
Jackson becomes the fourth transfer portal addition of the cycle, joining Joson Sanon from Arizona State, Bryce Hopkins from Providence, and Oziyah Sellers from Stanford.