Georgia flips UConn pledge Jackson
Athens Christian (Ga.) guard William Jackson decided in February that he wanted to head north to play for Kevin Ollie at Connecticut in college. The Huskies went on to win the national championship just two months later, but Jackson started having second thoughts about his decision recently.
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Monday morning, he decided to back out on his commitment to UConn and immediately pledged to play in his hometown at University of Georgia.
"I felt like UConn was getting a lot of guards, and it just isn't the right place for me in the future," Jackson said.
"Georgia is home for me, and it will be an easier transition for me. I've been here for a while and I know what it's like at UGA with the fans and how the players are and how they play. I've become pretty tight with the guys on the team like Kenny Gaines."
Even after Jackson's initial decision to commit to Connecticut, the Georgia coaching staff continued to support him and that ultimately played a big role in his decision to become a Bulldog.
"Coach [Mark] Fox and Coach [Jonas] Hayes played a big role in my decision to switch. Even after I committed to Connecticut, they still told me they will support me. They always told me what I needed to work on and that really helped me out. They never gave up on me."
Jackson, ranked 107th in the most recent 2015 Rivals150, becomes Fox's first commitment in the 2015 class. With two scholarships still available, Georgia will turn its attention to several other top in-state targets, including Jackson's backcourt mate with the Georgia Stars, Malik Beasley.
At 6-foot-5, Jackson will likely see time at both guard spots during his career at Georgia. He's a capable ball-handler and distributor but also capable of handling more of a scoring role if needed. After an up-and-down EYBL season with the Georgia Stars, Jackson hopes to bounce back with a big senior year at Athens Christian.
Dan McDonald is a contributing national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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