Maryland basketball seems to have a real shot at 5-star SG Josh Jackson

In a week where recruiting didn't fall in favor of Maryland football, it brought a touch of optimism to basketball, as Josh Jackson, possibly the nation's best high school senior is planning an official visit to Maryland, reports Inside Maryland Sports ($) via The Baltimore Sun.

It's a huge step in the right direction for Maryland, which currently has a pair of top-100 2016 guards in Anthony Cowan and Kevin Huerter but could need to replace as many as five of its top six players next season.

Jackson has off-the-charts talent, and he's already slotted as the No. 3 pick in DraftExpress' 2017 mock draft. Jerry Meyer, the director of basketball scouting for 247Sports, Jerry Meyer, called Jackson the best shooting guard he's scouted in his 11 years, and Jackson's dominance has caught national attention.

Jackson, a Detroit native, has already taken an official visit to Arizona in December, has a visit planned the weekend of Jan. 22 to Kansas, and has taken a few unofficial visits to nearby Michigan State.

Those schools round out the favorites to land his talents, but the Terrapins aren't out the running after leaving a strong impression during his unofficial visit over the summer, while the 6'7 star was en route to Under Armour's Elite 24 event in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he would become slam dunk champion and one of the game's MVPs.

After an Aug. 17 trip, Jackson told Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog he could "envision himself at Maryland." In an interview with Evan Daniels of Scout, he also said "I didn't expect the campus to be as nice as it was. Out of all of the schools I've visited so far Maryland probably has the nicest campus I've seen. I love their gym too. They probably have the best gym."

Maryland's current No. 7 national ranking and 16-2 record, paired with an impressionable first visit, will have Jackson returning to the Mid-Atlantic, perhaps coinciding with a Terps home game.

The Terps already lost out on five-star stretch big man Wenyen Gabriel to Kentucky and four-star forward Mario Kegler to Mississippi State, and are still in need of replacing graduating senior Jake Layman and transfer wing Rasheed Sulaimon. Both are spots Jackson can fill.

Jackson's explosiveness is unmatched by his classmates, as displayed here, passing abilities are at the next level as seen here and here – and he has the ability to swat shots at the rim.

Though he's on pace to be a one-and-done player, Jackson's commitment would be key for a booming Terrapins basketball program fresh off to one of its hottest starts in school history after signing five-star recruit Diamond Stone.

Signing day for national letters of intent is April 13.