The Kansas men’s basketball program can add another name to its long list of McDonald’s All-Americans.
On Tuesday, Class of 2023 signee Elmarko Jackson, a four-star prospect from the South Kent School in Connecticut, who originally hails from Marlton, New Jersey, joined the exclusive fraternity of so-called “Burger Boys” when this year’s teams were announced.
That makes it an even 50 for the blue blood program, with former KU great Darnell Valentine being the first back in 1977.
Video surfaced Tuesday afternoon of Jackson’s South Kent team being told about his honor, which made him the first McDonald’s All-American in the history of the South Kent program.
A 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard known for his explosive play-making ability, Jackson was ranked No. 22 overall by ESPN, No. 23 by 247 Sports and No. 27 by Rivals.com in the 2023 class.
He is currently averaging 19 points and six assists per game for the 18-3 South Kent team, which is 8-0 overall in conference play.
Earlier this season, Jackson was one of 50 boys basketball players nationwide to be named to the Naismith Boys High School Player of the Year Watch List.
Jackson becomes the fifth McDonald’s All-American to sign with KU since 2020, joining Bryce Thompson (now at Oklahoma State) and current Jayhawks Gradey Dick, MJ Rice and Ernest Udeh Jr.
He becomes the 27th McDonald’s All-American signed to KU by current Kansas coach Bill Self.
Said Self when Jackson signed with the Jayhawks in Novem-ber after committing in October: “He’s (an) athlete that can make plays with the ball and can play above the rim. He is ex-tremely explosive and a guy that has been well drilled, well taught in a short amount of time. We’re so excited to have him. He’ll be one of those versatile guards that can play the point, but also can play anywhere off the ball, as well.”
This year’s game, the 46th annual playing of the event, is scheduled for March 28 at the Toyota Center in Houston, the host city for this year’s Final Four.
The first McDonald’s All-American game took place in 1977, and, since then, dozens of some of the biggest stars in basketball have made an appearance in the elite prep showcase.
the legacy continues ????
huge congrats to our 50th McDonald’s All American selection, @ElmarkoJ!
More → https://t.co/XijSFjo7H6 pic.twitter.com/ziaastDF2w
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) January 25, 2023
The all-time list of KU McDonald’s All-Americans
Source: Kansas Athletics
Darnell Valentine (1977)
Greg Dreiling (1981)
Danny Manning (1984)
Rick Calloway (1985)
Tony Guy (1985)
Mark Randall (1986)
Mike Maddox (1987)
Darrin Hancock (1990)
Ben Davis (1991)
Calvin Rayford (1991)
Jacque Vaughn (1993)
Raef LaFrentz (1994)
Paul Pierce (1995)
Ryan Robertson (1995)
Lester Earl (1996)
Eric Chenowith (1997)
Kenny Gregory (1997)
Jeff Boschee (1998)
Nick Collison (1999)
Aaron Miles (2001)
Wayne Simien (2001)
J.R. Giddens (2003)
David Padgett (2003)
Mario Chalmers (2005)
Micah Downs (2005)
Julian Wright (2005)
Darrell Arthur (2006)
Sherron Collins (2006)
Cole Aldrich (2007)
Xavier Henry (2009)
Josh Selby (2010)
Perry Ellis (2012)
Wayne Selden, Jr. (2013)
Andrew Wiggins (2013)
Cliff Alexander (2014)
Kelly Oubre Jr. (2014)
Carlton Bragg Jr. (2015)
Cheick Diallo (2015)
Malik Newman (2015)
Udoka Azubuike (2016)
Josh Jackson (2016)
Billy Preston (2017)
Devon Dotson (2018)
Quentin Grimes (2018)
David McCormack (2018)
Bryce Thompson (2020)
Gradey Dick (2022)
Ernest Udeh Jr. (2022)
M.J. Rice (2022)
Elmarko Jackson (2023)
