Michigan Basketball: Don’t forget about Zeb Jackson in 2020

Michigan basketball fans are really focused on the who might be the next recruit to commit to the 2020 class. But we also can’t forget about Zeb Jackson.

It may be taking some time, but it feels like things might be finally coming together for Michigan basketball and the 2020 recruiting class.

Since he was hired as head coach, Juwan Howard and his staff, which includes guys like Saddi Washington, Phil Martelli and Howard Eisley, have been working hard on the recruiting trail and as Michigan basketball fans know, they have been chasing elite talent.

And so far, while that hasn’t yielded any commitments, it has gotten the Wolverines plenty of interest. In the past month or so, eight top-50 recruits in 2020 have listed Michigan among their most recent cutdown list.

The problem is that Michigan isn’t necessarily the favorite for any of those players. But the news that Nimari Burnett, Lance Ware and Walker Kessler will be taking official visits within the next month could change that. It at least gives Howard and company a legit shot.

While Michigan fans are certainly growing tired of seeing the Wolverines miss out on some of these top prospects, the fact that they were able to be finalists with Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Terrance Williams, two four-star prospects was a positive sign.

Another big positive that fans are forgetting is the fact that Howard and the Wolverines already have a key commitment in 2020 and that’s from guard Zeb Jackson.

Jackson is from Ohio but will be playing his senior season of high school basketball in Florida at IMG Academy. He’s 58th overall in 2020 and 11th among shooting guards, but his rankings should rise as the year goes on.

As you can see in the highlight embedded above, Jackson is a big-time player. He recently attended Steph Curry’s UA select camp and was a top performer there, before he took an unofficial visit to Ann Arbor Friday for the Wolverines practice.

While it’s easy to overlook Jackson because he has been committed so long, he’s a cornerstone piece for this class. The four-star has the ability to be a dynamic scoring point guard in the way Trey Burke was and he could carry on the tradition of great point guard play, following in the line of Zavier Simpson, Derrick Walton and Burke among others.

Obviously, with as many as four scholarships available, Howard and the Wolverines need more additions. But even in that department, Jackson is doing what he can to recruit.

Recently, he wound up on the same team as four-star power forward Jaemyn Brakefield, and did his best to recruit him to Michigan basketball. Here’s what Brakefield said to UMHoops ($):

"“I was at NBPA Top 100 and (Jackson) was on my team. That’s basically where it started with coach Juwan Howard, when he first saw me. Zeb was just on them real hard just to recruit me. He just said it fits me. He thinks I should come up there and check it out and he said coach loves me.”"

Jackson made a solid argument and who knows, Brakefield may be the next to schedule a visit with the Wolverines. Either way, that interaction is a reminder of how valuable Zeb can be on the recruiting trail.

Not only is he going to be a critical part of this recruiting class, but he is also going to be an ambassador for the class of 2020. The fact that he’s onboard and staying, should make it easier for other big names to commit to an unproven head coach.

So when you get down that Michigan basketball hasn’t landed one of these top-50 guys yet, don’t fret. It will happen in time and that for now at least, be thankful the Wolverines still got Zeb Jackson, which counts for a lot both on the floor and in recruiting.