6-foot-10 center Parker Jefferson commits to Minnesota Golden Gophers over USC 

Three-star recruit Parker Jefferson has committed to coach Benjamin Johnson's Minnesota Golden Gophers over the USC Trojans. The 6-foot-10 center from Inglewood High School in Waxahachie, Texas took an unofficial visit to USC on Aug. 4, to Texas A&M on Oct. 8 and to Minnesota on Oct. 24 before making his decision. On3's National Basketball reporter, Joe Tipton, confirmed the news on X on Thursday.

Jefferson is marked as a four-star recruit by ESPN and a three-star recruit by On3, Rivals and 247Sports. He is ranked 19th among centers in California. According to 247Sports, he received 13 offers from programs, including USC, Alabama State, Cal Poly, Iowa, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Saint Louis, UCF and more.

On3's Jamie Shaw commended Jefferson's passing abilities and range in his scouting report:

“Parker Jefferson has good size with a frame that projects as he continues to mature. He has good hands, very passer friendly, and can receive passes in traffic. His range extends beyond the three-point line with consistency."

Jefferson played two seasons for Inglewood, averaging 15.4 points, 2.1 assists, 8.2 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks in 47 games. In the 2022-23 season, he played 16 matches and averaged 12.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest while playing 24.0 minutes.

In his junior year in the 2023-24 season, Jefferson played 31 games and scored 16.7 points, grabbed 9.5 boards, dished out 2.7 assists, stole the ball 0.5 times and had 0.8 blocked shots per game.

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Why did Parker Jefferson choose Minnesota?

With offers from various other programs, Jefferson talked about his decision to snub USC and choose Minnesota with On3 on Wednesday:

“I chose Minnesota because I feel like since day one I was a main priority to them and they really surprised me and my family with the quality of people in the program and they think I can have a big impact as a freshman.”

This marks the Gophers' third commitment in the Class of 2025. Before Parker Jefferson, Johnson gained the pledge of three-star recruit and No. 271 prospect Kai Shinholster from William Penn Charter (Philadelphia, PA) on Sep. 4 and No. 140 recruit Jacob Ross from Southern California Academy (Glen Head, NY) on Oct. 31.