The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1184078
52 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2019 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan head coach Juwan Howard has two class of 2020 pledges ready to sign in the early period, and he's hoping to add a few more. The list, however, dwindled a bit when a handful of his top pros- pects — Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Acad- emy's Jaden Springer and Mark Wil- liams, Montverde (Fla.) Academy's Moses Moody and Napa (Calif.) Pro- lific Prep's Nimari Burnett — chose other schools. Springer (6-6, Rivals.com's No. 15 senior nationally) was the first to pledge, picking Tennessee Oct. 23. There were rumblings that he really loved Michigan and wanted the Wol- verines, and he admitted in mid-Oc- tober U-M had made a move. "The visit was great when I went out there," he said. "They showed me the team, and they showed me some film on how they're going to play. After they showed me that, I really started to love the team even more. "What the coaches were telling me with how they would use me, I re- ally believed them. It seemed like they were keeping it 100 [percent] real with me." In the end, however, he and his family decided together. His AAU coach, Bobby Maze, was a former Tennessee player with ties to the program, and that appears to have played a big part in his decision. Williams (7-0, No. 38 prospect in the class) was next, opting for Duke a week later. His sister was a recent standout for the Blue Devils' wom- en's team, so this one wasn't a huge surprise. Moody (6-5, No. 50 player nation- ally), a teammate of 2020 Michigan commitment Zeb Jackson, picked Arkansas Nov. 9 during a press con- ference. He also loved his Michigan visit, but the allure of playing for his home state school was too much to pass up. "It was definitely a big decision," he said during a press conference in his hometown. "I put in a lot of work to get here. I just feel like I'm giving back to the community that raised me." U-M finished second, while Vir- ginia also made a late push. He took official visits to Michigan, Arkansas and Ohio State. Burnett (6-4, No. 22 talent in the land), meanwhile, never really seemed to have the Wolverines at the top of his list despite close family ties to Howard and his family. The five-star shooting guard was looking to be "the guy" with the ball in his hands, and with U-M already having Jackson (6-3, No. 58 prospect nationally), Burnett pledged to Texas Tech in mid-November. Despite the misses, Howard and his staff were still heavily involved with three prospects in the 2020 class, looking to add to the two-man class of Jackson and five-star Isaiah Todd (6-10, No. 10 player in the country) of Raleigh (N.C.) Word of God Acad- emy. Jackson has been solid with his commitment since Howard re-se- cured it in May — he initially pledged to former coach John Beilein — while Todd is still flirting with the idea of playing overseas, though he's said all the right things about spending BASKETBALL RECRUITING Michigan Still Waiting On A Few 2020s Hunter Dickinson, a 7-1 center at DeMatha Catholic High in Hyattsville, Md., who is ranked as the nation's No. 37 player, had a final four of Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State and Duke heading into mid-November. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM