Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Illinois, Jackson will study under Atkins for a year before taking the reins as a sophomore. It's a major win for the Irish, who missed out on a point guard in the 2012 class. But good things came to the pa- tient Irish coaching staff, which made its presence known nearly every time Jackson laced up his high-tops. "I had to sleep on it," Jackson said of the night prior to his decision. "It was up and down for me. I had such a great relationship with both coaching staffs; I knew it would be a difficult de- cision. "This morning I felt like Notre Dame HAD THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. I KNOW THAT NOTRE DAME WILL PREPARE ME FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE." JACKSON "I FEEL LIKE NOTRE DAME was the best for me. … Coach [Mike] Brey was very excited and gave me a hug … He's a funny guy. I love hanging out with Coach Brey." Spoiling its own exclusive, ESPN ac- cidentally released an Internet video of one of its analysts talking about how Notre Dame managed to nab a differ- ence-maker in Jackson, who was sup- posed to give his verbal commitment live on ESPNU later in the day. "I don't feel like I let Illinois down, but course of the last 15 months. Jackson led Marian High to its first sectional title since 1969, the program's first-ever re- gional crown and a spot in the Class 3A state semifinals as a junior, when he av- eraged 23 points per game. He shot up the rankings and more and more pro- grams chased him with polished sales pitches. When it was all said and done, a stack of big-time offers from elite schools went in the trash. Jackson holds the He also averaged seven assists and eight rebounds per contest last season, when the Knights finished 22-4 after losing to fourth-ranked Norwell 76-67 in the state semis March 17. His 580 points broke a school record for single-season scoring, and he had a single-game record of 42 points. "It was brutal," Jackson's AAU coach program's all-time scoring mark with 1,398 career points. they were a little disappointed," he said. "I'm a little disappointed also because I didn't get to let them know myself that I was attending Notre Dame, rather than them hearing it or seeing it on the Inter- net. At the same time, I'm happy. It was a little frustrating, but a lot of people would kill for this opportunity." The process took its toll on the local talent, who rapidly became a coveted player on the national scene over the Rod Creech said of the recruiting pro- cess. "He was stressed. I told all his friends on the way over to the press conference that you've got your buddy back. "This went down to the last day. It was a very tough call for him. These coaches get paid to recruit, and they're good at what they do. … When you feel like you don't have the edge anymore you want to get it. When you have the edge you want to hold it. They were jockeying, and it was tough for him. "At the end of the day, he slept on it like he said, and I think he made a good decision for himself. He feels it in his heart and that's what you roll with." ✦