By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, SC — Class of 2026 five-star wing Jaxon Richardson will be out for Peach Jam, he told ZAGSBLOG. The five-star will still remain in North Augusta to support his Florida Rebels teammates.
“I messed it up in the CP3 game, messed my foot up,” Richardson said.
There has been some good news for the Richardson family recently, though. Jaxon’s older brother, Jase, was drafted in the first round by the Orlando Magic and has been producing in the Summer League.
“He’s hooping right now,” Jaxon said. “It means a lot, just knowing that he’s playing for a team my dad played for before. So that’s kind of just special, being able to go down there and knowing everybody all ready… He’s already feeling comfortable there and he already feels like its home.”
While Richardson’s summer has taken a slight hiccup with the foot injury, he said it’s been a great summer overall. He feels that he’s really expanded his playmaking and ability to read ball screens. He’ll be able to showcase his skills at some events later on in the summer.
“I’m going to go to a few camps after this, probably like Jayson Tatum camp and the SLAM high school event they have in New York,” Richardson said.
Richardson was not able to attend Team USA U19 training camp or NBPA Top 100 camp in June due to getting his wisdom teeth removed.
On the recruitment front, Richardson recently announced a top-10 schools list: Alabama, Cincinnati, Creighton, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Ole Miss, Seton Hall, USC and Villanova. So far he’s set official visits to Alabama (Sept. 13) and Ole Miss (Sept. 27). He said he’ll visit 5-6 of his finalists.
“I’m going to look through them, see the style of play, who they got there and just really narrow it down to about six places to go really visit,” Richardson said.
Richardson provided ZAGSBLOG why each school made his top 10:
Alabama: “They just been showing me love since my freshman year. They’ve kept that communication going since freshman year and that’s just meant a lot, keeping that relationship alive over these years and just investing in me. They’ve loved me since I wasn’t really doing much and now I’m doing this. So that appreciation just means a lot to me.”
Cincinnati: “Cincinnati has been there since my freshman year as well. Love the coaching staff there, coach Wes [Miller]. Coach Miller has been reaching out everyday, just making sure I’m okay. Since freshman year they’ve been on me and it’s one of my first offers. Just them keeping that relationship alive throughout these 2-3 years has been impressive.”
Creighton: “They love me there. I was able to get on Zooms with them. They just kind of walked me through the style of play, the way I would fit in there. I feel like it would be a great place for me to be at. When I had my surgery, when I got my wisdom teeth out, every single coach texted me on the staff. So that just really stood out to me. Like, every single coach was texting me. I was impressed by that, so they made the top 10.”
Louisville: “Another school I feel like I fit the style of play. They play fast, play hard. Similar to Alabama’s playing style. I love the coaching there as well. They’ve shown a lot of support and a lot of love to me, just reaching out, checking in on me and making sure I’m doing okay. So I feel like that’s really important.”
Miami: “That’s a bunch of different coaches who were actually recruiting me from different schools there. And they just all headed to Miami. So they’ve already shown me a lot of love. They call me a lot. So just that connection I already had with some of the coaches, it’s already there. So I feel like it’s a good place.”
Michigan: “Great year one. A lot of people are not going to like that because my brother and my dad went to Michigan State. But I just love the style of basketball they play. They play very unselfish and just the way they play — they play hard — so that really sticks out to me because I feel like I’m one of those players. I play unselfish and I play hard. So that just really sticks out to me, and I love the coaching staff there.”
Ole Miss: “Another school that shows me a lot of love. They came a little bit later in my recruiting cycle, but they showed that they really want to pursue me by calling me, texting me. I love the style of play they play. They play hard, they play fast. So I just think that really fits and sticks out to me.”
Seton Hall: “They reach out every single day. They come at me every single day, ask me how my day was. So just the connection and the coaches calling me, showing me all the new facilities, that meant a lot to me. They’re showing they’re really invested in me, so I feel like I had to put them in my top 10 because they show so much love. They are also a great school.”
USC: “Coach [Eric] Musselman. I’ve already had that relationship because my dad played under coach Muss when he was at Golden State. So just him reaching out, just knowing how they play — because I play similar to my dad I would say — so he kind of knows how to coach me already. So that sticks out to me and the coaching staff there shows a lot of love as well. I think it would be a great place to be.”
Villanova: “I just love the style of play they have and the coaches. The coaches are communicating with me a lot, always checking up on me. When I had my surgery, they were just checking up on me. So that just meant a lot to me, and I feel like that would be a good place to work on my game and improve overall.”
Richardson say he’ll likely narrow his list down again to four schools before making a decision. As for a timeline for a commitment, Richardson said he’s thinking of taking the Nate Ament route and waiting until the spring.
“More later, just kind of see what’s going on with the transfer portal,” Richardson said. “Because you know, you don’t want to go somewhere they recruit over you. So I’m definitely going to take my time and make sure I make the right decision.”
What will be the most important factor in his decision?
“Trust, people that believe in me,” Richardson said. “Somewhere where I can develop, somewhere I can just fit in and play.”
Richardson is ranked the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2025 class by 247Sports.
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