KU’s Jackson tears patellar tendon, out for ’24-25

Kansas guard Elmarko Jackson, a former McDonald’s All American, will miss the 2024-25 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon during a workout this week, the Jayhawks announced Wednesday.

Jackson suffered the injury during a camp Tuesday. He will soon undergo surgery, and the recovery time is about a year.

“We are all crushed by this,” Kansas coach Bill Self said in a statement. “[Jackson] has had a terrific spring. He has worked so hard and improved so much. This will be a challenge that he will meet head on and he will return 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 college basketball’s strongest rosters.

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 are ranked first in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25.