Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson, a former McDonald's All American, will miss the 2024-25 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon during practice this week, the Jayhawks announced Wednesday.
Jackson suffered the injury during camp on Tuesday. He will soon undergo surgery and the recovery time is approximately a year.
“We are all overwhelmed by this,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. “[Jackson] You've had a great spring. He has worked very hard and has improved a lot. “This will be a challenge he will face head-on and come back as good as ever.”
Jackson, a four-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, averaged 4.3 points per game during an up-and-down freshman season in 2023-24. The 6-foot-3 guard would have competed for minutes next season on one of the strongest rosters in college basketball.
Despite losing standout Johnny Furphy to the NBA draft, Kansas returns a collection of talent that should help Self compete for his third national title. After adding transfers AJ Storr and Zeke Mayo and retaining Hunter Dickinson, the Jayhawks sit in first place in ESPN's Too Early Top 25.
