The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1202829
60 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2020 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan head coach Juwan Howard's recruiting efforts have been off-the-charts good in his first year at the helm, resulting in (currently, anyway) a top-five haul according to Rivals.com. It came in at No. 4, specifically, as of Jan. 21, behind only blue bloods Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina. Howard didn't appear to be done, either, after landing four-stars Hunter Dickinson (7-1, Rivals.com's No. 38 senior nationally) of Hyatts- ville (Md.) DeMatha and Terrance Williams (6-6, No. 94) of Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga in late December and early January. He took a pledge from his son, three-star power forward Jace Howard of Hollywood (Fla.) University, and was sitting in good position for five-star shooting guard Josh Christopher heading into late January, according to a number of reports. The obvious question is … well, obvious after looking at the scholar- ship chart below. Teams are allowed to carry 13 scholarship players, and the Wolverines are already one over for next season: 2020-21 1: Austin Davis, 6-10, 5th-Sr., C 2: Eli Brooks, 6-1, Sr., PG/SG 3: Isaiah Livers, 6-8, Sr., PF 4: David DeJulius, 6-0, Jr., PG 5: Brandon Johns, 6-8, Jr., PF 6: Colin Castleton, 6-11, Jr., C 7: Adrien Nunez, 6-5, Jr., SG 8: Cole Bajema, 6-7, So., SG 9: Franz Wagner, 6-8, So., SF 10: Zeb Jackson, 6-3, Fr., PG 11: Isaiah Todd, 6-10, Fr., PF 12: Hunter Dickinson, 7-1, Fr., C 13: Terrance Williams, 6-6, Fr., SF 14: Jace Howard, 6-8, Fr., PF There are several possibilities when it comes to making room. Some believe Davis will move on after his fourth year and perhaps pursue a fifth year elsewhere. Livers has been rumored to be leaning toward enter- ing the NBA Draft, while Todd is still flirting with potential professional opportunities rather than playing in college. There's always the possibility of a transfer or two, as well. Regardless, Howard continues to pursue more players to add to an already elite 2020 group. "What the new staff in Ann Ar- bor has done in putting together the No. 4 overall class is nothing short of incredible," Rivals.com recruit- ing analyst Dan McDonald shared in early January. "The only schools cur- rently ranked ahead of Michigan are Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina. "Most people expected Howard to recruit well because of his back- ground and his personality, but I doubt many expected the only coaches to be ranked of him in his first year would be John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams." Howard is still working, too. Rivals.com's Corey Evans was the first to report that Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair 's Christopher (6-5, Rivals.com's No. 12 senior nation- ally) was probably leaning towards Michigan, and others quickly fol- lowed suit (including a UCLA site) in saying they felt U-M was the very likely landing spot. Multiple sources have since said U-M appears to be in very good shape, but it's a long way from over. Christopher himself tweeted that he was the best source on his recruit- ment, and he had "no idea" where he'd end up. "Nothing is imminent, and Ari- zona State, Missouri and UCLA re- main in the way, but Michigan has the momentum, which could create a six-man class and one of the best groups ever assembled in Ann Ar- bor," Evans said in early January. BASKETBALL RECRUITING Wolverines Are Still On The Hunt In The Class Of 2020 Michigan has developed into a possible favorite for five-star Josh Christopher of Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair, according to Rivals.com's Corey Evans, among others. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/COURTESY RIVALS.COM