Notre Dame lands Demetrius Jackson

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Telep: Jackson's Impact on Notre Dame

Demetrius Jackson, the No. 4 point guard in the 2013 class, commits to the Irish. Dave Telep breaks down what it means to the recruiting landscape.Tags: Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, RecruitingNation, ESPN 100, high school basketball recruiting

Telep: Jackson's Impact on Notre Dame

Notre Dame landed the No. 4 point guard in the Class of 2013 on Thursday when Demetrius Jackson (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian Catholic), the No. 19 overall prospect in the ESPN 100, picked the Irish over Illinois.

Jackson grew up 20 minutes from Notre Dame's campus in South Bend, Ind. The Irish locked in on him and made the local standout their top priority. His commitment moves Notre Dame to No. 5 in the 2013 basketball recruiting class rankings.

"I believe that I'm going to bring them another point guard that will work his butt off to do whatever it takes to make the team better and win," Jackson said. "I'll bring some liveliness to the program."

Notre Dame and Illinois were locked in a tussle for his services. On Tuesday, each program sent its full allotment of three coaches to watch Jackson work out. The point guard had a difficult time reaching his final verdict.

"With the last two schools, it was hard to see myself not playing there," Jackson said. "It was very difficult because the built-in relationships and the opportunity that Illinois had to offer."

Jackson spoke at length about Notre Dame point guard Eric Atkins, who will be a senior when Jackson is a freshman. Although some viewed Atkins' presence as an impediment, Jackson embraced the chance to learn from an elder statesman.

"With them having a senior point guard my freshman year -- and he's done a great job in the Big East and he'll do a solid job in the ACC -- I'll have someone to learn from and teach me the ways," Jackson said. "At first, that scared me away because I didn't think I'll be able to start my freshman year, but I figured out that's not what it's about. Having that senior point guard there to help me out will make a difference."

Notre Dame's three-man class is comprised of a trio of ESPN 100 players. Shooting guard Steve Vasturia (Medford, N.J./St. Joe's Prep) and wing V.J. Beachem (New Haven, Ind./New Haven) both committed last October.

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Dave Telep

RecruitingNation

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• Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com
• Scouting service used by more than 225 college teams
• Covering basketball recruiting for 15 years