Ian Jackson named one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award

Another day, another midseason accolade for Ian "Captain Jack" Jackson.

After earning a spot on the Oscar Robertson Award Midseason Watch List, Jackson followed it up by being tabbed as one of 10 players to make the Julius Erving Award Watch List.

The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. Here's the list of finalists that were named on Wednesday:

2025 Julius Erving Award Candidates

Chad Baker-Mazara- Auburn
Cooper Flagg- Duke
Payton Sandfort- Iowa
Jaxson Robinson- Kentucky
Ian Jackson- North Carolina
Jalon Moore- Oklahoma
Ace Bailey- Rutgers
Miles Byrd- San Diego State
RJ Luis Jr.- St. John's
Liam McNeeley- UConn

Jackson has been a spark plug for the UNC basketball program in his first season on campus. After starting the season coming off the bench, Jackson made it impossible for Hubert Davis not to insert him into the starting lineup, as his ability to score the basketball has been on display on various occasions.

Through the first 22 games of his college career, Jackson is averaging 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per-game. He's shooting the basketball very efficiently, knocking down 48.3% of his attempts while knocking down 37.6% of his shots from beyond the arc.

While the 2024-2025 season hasn't gone as planned for the UNC basketball program, Ian Jackson has been one of the few bright spots for this year's squad. He's certainly earned the recognition he's received as he continues to prove that he's one of the best freshmen that the country has to offer.