Date? Time? Finalists? What to know about 5-star UNC hoops target GG Jackson's announcement

The long and winding recruitment of five-star power forward GG Jackson comes to an end this week, as the No. 8 recruit in the class of 2023 is set to announce his college basketball destination around 3 p.m. Wednesday.

And, according to national insiders, UNC fans should brace for good news.

All updated projections from experts at 247Sports, On3 Sports and Rivals indicate that Jackson, a versatile 6-foot-9 power forward at Ridge View (S.C.) High School, will verbally commit to coach Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels over five other finalists, including Duke and South Carolina, on Wednesday.

Jackson’s 247Sports composite recruiting ranking is 0.9972. If he chooses UNC, he’d rank as the program’s No. 9 all-time commit in the modern recruiting era, just ahead of 2005 forward Tyler Hansbrough (0.9970) and just behind 2006 guards Wayne Ellington (0.9974) and Ty Lawson (0.9976).

Jackson would also be the Tar Heels’ second five-star pledge in the class of 2023, as five-star Roselle Catholic (N.J.) combo guard Simeon Wilcher verbally committed to the Tar Heels in mid-October.

Adding Jackson would also give coach Hubert Davis’ UNC program the No. 2 composite recruiting class in the ACC and the country, only trailing rival Duke. The Blue Devils, who inked the nation’s No. 1 overall 2022 recruiting class, have landed five 2023 commits (four of them five-stars) under coach Jon Scheyer.

Here’s what else you need to know about Jackson’s looming commitment.

The announcement

Jackson will announce his college commitment in a news conference this Wednesday, April 27, at Ridge View High School in Columbia, S.C.. The news conference will start at 3 p.m., his school said Monday.

The finalists

On March 4, Jackson named six finalists: Auburn, Duke, Georgetown, North Carolina, South Carolina and the G League Ignite, a paid alternative route to the NBA Draft utilized by some top high school recruits.

Those six schools remain finalists entering Wednesday’s decision. Jackson told 247Sports he’s now considering UMass, too, given his close relationship with former South Carolina coach Frank Martin.

Previous coverage: South Carolina fires Frank Martin. Could it help UNC or Duke land this 5-star recruit?

Martin, USC’s head coach of 10 seasons, had the Gamecocks in strong position to land Jackson’s commitment before the school fired him March 14. UMass hired Martin as its coach March 25.

The predictions

Seven 247Sports insiders have filed Crystal Ball predictions for Jackson to commit to UNC, with five of those coming over the last month. Among those predicting is Travis Branham, a national analyst who has hit on all eight of his Crystal Ball picks for the 2023 cycle and 136 of his 146 all-time picks (93.2%).

Previous coverage: 5-star UNC, Duke basketball recruit on Final Four run: 'Coach Hubert knows what he's doing'

Previous coverage: Will 5-star GG Jackson commit to UNC basketball, Davis? Top recruiting insider says yes

Jackson has also picked up three Rivals FutureCasts to commit to UNC, including one from national reporter and southeast analyst Rob Cassidy (78.1% accuracy rate). On3 Sports’ Recruiting Prediction Machine, which updates in real time, has also deemed UNC as Jackson’s most likely college choice.

Where he ranks

The 247Sports composite ranks Jackson as the No. 8 overall recruit in the class of 2023, as well as the No. 1 recruit in South Carolina and No. 3 power forward in the class. On some websites, he’s higher.

On3 Sports and Rivals have both deemed Jackson the No. 1 overall 2023 recruit in the nation in their most recent rankings update, while ESPN has the talented power forward ranked at No. 6 in its 2023 Top 100.

In the Top247, 247Sports’ in-house rankings, Jackson listed as the country’s No. 8 junior.

Chapel Fowler is a recruiting reporter for The Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at cfowler@gannett.com or on Twitter at @chapelfowler.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball, Hubert Davis prepare for GG Jackson's decision