With the start of the 2025-26 men’s basketball season being less than a month away, it’s time to start diving deeper into this year’s roster. We’ll go through every scholarship player on the KU roster (whether they’re returning or new) and introduce them to Jayhawk nation. To kick off the player profile series, we begin with incoming redshirt sophomore Elmarko Jackson.
Jackson is entering his third season at Kansas, but it will be just his second seeing action on the court, as he missed all of last year due to a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. During his freshman campaign in 2023-24, Elmarko averaged 4.3 points, 1.7 assists, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.8 steals per game. His season eventually ended when KU was eliminated by Gonzaga in the second round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. He hasn’t officially seen the floor in a game since.
Jackson arrived at Kansas as a highly touted McDonald’s All-American for Bill Self and the Jayhawks. Although his first couple seasons haven’t gone as he might have expected, he’s put in a tremendous amount of work and is ready to be a major part of the backcourt this year.
During a press conference in July, Bill Self was asked about Elmarko Jackson’s progress after completing rehab for the injury he suffered last summer. Self said, “Athletically, he’s where he was before he got hurt… When he’s able to play instead of think you’ll see him being as explosive as he was when he first got here.”
Those are encouraging words from the Hall of Fame coach. By the time the season begins, Jackson will have had four additional months to recover and train since Bill Self spoke about him in July.
Jackson was once projected by many to be a first-round NBA Draft pick, so we know his potential is sky-high. Many college basketball fans outside of Kansas may have forgotten about the young guard from New Jersey, but don’t be surprised if he becomes a major contributor to this season’s Jayhawk squad.