Another UNC basketball player has entered his name in the transfer portal, as former five-star recruit Ian Jackson will be looking for a new home this offseason.
BREAKING: North Carolina 5-star freshman Ian Jackson has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, @PeteNakos_ reports👀https://t.co/mzMe9lva6f pic.twitter.com/0g4nj7kJgV
— On3 (@On3sports) April 7, 2025
Jackson, a highly-touted recruit out of high school, spent one season with the UNC basketball program. The Bronx, New York native averaged 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds over 36 games (12 starts).
Considered to be a “one-and-done” prospect, Jackson looked the part early on in the season. You could make the case that he was the Tar Heels best player for a good stretch of time, as he was simply a scoring machine from late December into the mid portion of January.
From December 21 to January 15, Jackson put together six 20+ point outings over seven games, including a 27-point outburst against Notre Dame. During that stretch, Jackson looked like a sure-fire first rounder, but as the season went on, his role significantly decreased.
In fact, Jackson didn’t play more than 20 minutes in any of the Tar Heels final six games, as his lack of scoring made him essentially unplayable.
Jackson surely has room to grow in his game, especially in terms of impacting the game in other ways. Sure, scoring the basketball is an elite trait to have, but it’s useless if a coach can’t trust you to lock in defensively or make winning plays when your shot isn’t falling.
Without a doubt, Jackson will have plenty of suitors to choose from, as he’s a player with a lot of talent and potential. While his time in Chapel Hill didn’t go as planned, Jackson hopes that his next spot puts him back on track to become an NBA-caliber player in the very near future.
Of the guys who have transferred thus far this offseason, Ian Jackson might be the most disappoint of them all. Yes, the writing was on the wall that his stay would be short (whether via the NBA Draft or with another team via the transfer portal), but he’s a guy that has the talent to make you regret not helping him reach his potential in a Carolina Blue uniform.
