KU guard Elmarko Jackson to enter transfer portal seeking ‘more opportunity’
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- Elmarko Jackson will enter the NCAA transfer portal seeking a “little more opportunity.”
- Jackson missed 2024-25 after knee surgery and averaged 4.8 points in the following season.
- He had scoring bursts in Big 12/nonconference games despite largely inconsistent season.
Kansas sophomore guard Elmarko Jackson has decided to enter his name in the NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal, he confirmed to The Star on Monday afternoon.
Jackson, a 6-foot-3 third-year player from Marlton, New Jersey, missed the 2024-25 season while rehabbing a knee injury that required surgery. He averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this past season. He hit 38.1% of his shots overall and 37.2% of his 3s while playing 17.8 minutes per game in 34 games (one start).
Jackson scored a career-high 19 points in a win at Kansas State and 17 points in a victory over Tennessee in Las Vegas. He had 13 points and five steals in a regular-season win over TCU and 13 points (10-of-10 from line) in a Big 12 tourney win over the Horned Frogs. He had 11 points in a loss to UConn.
“I had a fun year. I think I got better, learned a lot of things,” Jackson told The Star of his past season at KU.
“Just a fresh start, a little more opportunity,” he added of what he’s looking for in the portal.
He said he had no specific landing spot in mind.
“Just open to everything,” he said.
He added of his KU days: “I learned a lot, experienced a lot. They (KU coaches) have been my guys the last three years. I learned a lot with them and am grateful for the opportunity.”
A 2023 McDonald’s All-American, Jackson made an immediate impact at KU as a freshman, starting the first 15 games of the 2023-24 season. After undergoing knee surgery after getting injured in the summer of 2024 in a camp scrimmage game, Jackson rehabbed in 2024-25, returning to full-time duty this past campaign.
Jackson ended his high school career at South Kent High School in Connecticut ranked No. 19 by 247Sports, No. 25 by Rivals and No. 26 by ESPN.
The portal officially opens after Monday’s NCAA title game. However, more than 1,000 players nationally have already announced intentions to enter. The portal will close on April 21. Players don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline. They only need to submit their name through their compliance office by that date.
Also entering the portal: big men Flory Bidunga, Bryson Tiller and Paul Mbiya. A fourth player, Darryn Peterson, has completed his one-and-done season at KU and is expected to be a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
KU has four players with remaining eligibility on the roster: rotation player Jamari McDowell, seldom-used Samis Calderon, early season starter Kohl Rosario and redshirt freshman Corbin Allen.
KU has a recruiting class of incoming freshmen Taylen Kinney, Davion Adkins, Luke Barnett and Trent Perry. The No. 1 player in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes, has an official list of KU, Kentucky and Oregon.
