Charlotte basketball lands 4-star recruit Jaylen Cross

USA BASKETBALL

Caldwell Academy standout Jaylen Cross, a four-star recruit, signed with the Charlotte 49ers as part of the 2025 freshman class.

Jaylen Cross believes Charlotte is a place where he could grow as a basketball player and a man.

Cross, a four-star guard according to Rivals recruiting service, said he knew he wanted to call Charlotte home after his visit to see the 49ers’ preseason exhibition against Georgia.

“Their exhibition against Georgia, it wasn’t like their full team because they were hurt,” Cross said. “But it was then when I thought to myself, ‘Man I could really see myself here.’ I just visualized myself out there on the floor and it just seemed like the right thing to do. That was really the lightbulb moment for me. The exhibition helped open my eyes and see the great opportunities here for me in Charlotte.”

Cross — the 49ers’ highest rated recruit the 49ers since 2009 — plays at Caldwell Academy in Greensboro, which is 3-1. While he is most known for his defensive abilities, Cross says he has more to offer and feels the 49ers’ coaching staff will help him reach his potential.

“I think I excel at a lot of things, but my defense is what a lot of people talk about,” Cross said. “As a part of being a good defender, I feel like I can guard one through four on the floor and that may be my best attribute – versatility. I can play on the ball, off the ball, crash the glass, score and really do what my coaches need me to do.”

Cross said he didn’t communicate with the 49ers until July, but right away felt a connection with head coach Aaron Fearne and his staff.

“Early on conversations were very good with [Fearne],” Cross said. “It was a lot of relationship building stuff and things like that. But eventually it was just like talking to my high school coach. We built a great relationship really fast. Eventually we started talking about things outside of basketball. We talked about just life in general, so it was really good just building that relationship quickly and it made it feel like it would work here at Charlotte.”

Usually, it takes time before a recruit commits to a school after taking an official visit, but when Cross committed on Nov. 10, it came as a surprise to 49ers fans.

“As soon as I went on my first official visit, the vibes there were amazing,” he said. “As the visit progressed, the coaches started talking to me about how they saw me in their system and things like that and it seemed like I could fit in well with what they had in mind. They made it clear their biggest thing was about development and I like that. They can get me in the best place I need to be for the future, not just as a basketball player but as a man, too. That is a good thing because ultimately that is the next phase of my life and so having coaches that value me as a person and player was very important.”

Fearne said he was happy to get Cross on board.

“We are very excited to welcome Jaylen Cross to Niner Nation," Fearne said. "He is a tenacious and intense competitor that brings the energy 24/7. His drive to win and be great mixed with his high-level athleticism spells a promising future for Jaylen in the green and white.”

Cross has lofty goals for his time in Charlotte and can’t wait to get started.

“As a personal goal, I want to keep bettering myself each day I am there,” he said. “I want to adjust to high level college basketball and just strive to grow on and off the court. I know the coaches around me want to help me grow and develop, which is good to know. As a team goal, I know the 49ers haven’t been to March Madness in a hot minute and I know they are in a tough conference. So, it would be great to make a push for [a conference championship] and make March Madness.”

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