Tom Izzo and his Michigan State staff have added one of the top inside talents in the rising senior class in 6-11 Jaren Jackson, a top forty prospect, from La Porte, IN La Lumiere Academy.

“Coach Izzo has established a culture and an attitude of winning and I want to be part of that,” Jackson told ESPN. “He does a great job at developing his talent too.”

Jackson chose Michigan State over Georgetown (his dad’s Alma Mater), Maryland, Notre Dame and Purdue.

He is a young senior (just turning 17 on Thursday) and has an immense upside physically that makes him a potential NBA first round draft choice with two or three years of physical development at MSU. Like a number of former Spartans he will learn to play with a physical abandon under Izzo that will prepare him well for post college opportunities. In the meantime this skilled face up four man will continue to utilize his ball skills and length to find ways to help the Spartans once he arrives in East Lansing next fall. He has great bloodlines as his dad played in the NBA. He has range to the arc and is an excellent passer who impressed us with his development of a pick and roll game where he showed he could stop and pop 12-footer or attack the rim and finish versus contact. The ability to take on physical contact has lifted his stock and put him in the hunt for a spot in the McDonald’s All-American game next spring.

He is the first recruit to commit to the Spartans this fall as they look to follow up last year’s top ten class!