Demetrius Jackson to Announce College Decision Thursday: Notre Dame or Illinois?

Demetrius Jackson, a five-star point guard from Mishawaka, IN., will announce his college decision Thursday at 4 p.m. CT on ESPNU according to ESPN.com. Jackson will choose between Notre Dame and Illinois.

The 6'1" recruit is rated the fifth-best point guard by Scout.com and the 27th-best player in the 2013 class by Rivals.com. He has offers from Louisville, Xavier, Kansas, Michigan, Xavier and several other Division-I schools.

“The reason why his value is so high is because of his leadership and ability to command a team,” ESPN's Dave Telep said. “He may not be a household name, but he will be.”

ESPN.com says of Jackson:

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"He has a number of positives going for him. Jackson has size, speed, strength and a diverse offensive game to augment his court vision and natural playmaking abilities. A good, not great three-point shooter, Jackson uses his speed to create chances off the bounce."

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Jackson scored 22.3 points per game last year as a junior at Marian High School in Indiana. 

Notre Dame received an official visit from Jackson last weekend for the Michigan vs. Notre Dame football game. Jackson also recently visited Illinois. Both Notre Dame and Illinois watched Jackson at open gym Tuesday night, according to BigTenSports.com.

Illinois has made finding a point guard for the 2013 class a top priority. If Jackson committed to Illinois he would have the opportunity to come in right away and get playing time at Illinois.

John Groce, Illinois head coach, recently picked up two four-star shooting guards in Kendrick Nunn and Malcolm Hill. Illinois also has three-star center Maverick Morgan as part of their 2013 class. Adding Jackson would propel Illinois to one of the best recruiting classes in the country. The Fighting Illini currently have the 15th-best recruiting class in the nation according to Scout.com.

Notre Dame's campus is only 15 minutes away from Jackson's house. Jackson has made several unofficial visits to Notre Dame's campus. The appeal of playing in front of his hometown could definitely help in Jackson's decision. 

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey already has two commits for the 2013 class in four-star small forwards Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem. Notre Dame currently has the 23rd-best recruiting class according to Scout.com.

V.J. Beachem and Jackson played together this summer for the Indiana Junior all-star squad.

Whether Jackson picks Illinois or Notre Dame, he has everything he needs to be a college star. Thursday night, we will see if Notre Dame or Illinois fans will have something to celebrate.