The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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34 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2023 BY CHRIS BALAS T he days of building a team through high school recruiting and watching kids grow together appear to be over, at least on the high-major level. Between name, image and like- ness (NIL) and the transfer portal — kids being able to move to schools without having to sit out a year — many, if not most, rosters are go- ing through overhauls on an annual basis. Michigan's will be no different in 2023-24. The Wolverines have lost wing Jett Howard and shooting guard Kobe Bufkin to the NBA Draft, sophomore wing Isaiah Barnes to the transfer portal, and were still work- ing on getting big man Hunter Dick- inson back for his senior year after he surprisingly hit the portal, too. Head coach Juwan Howard and his staff didn't waste much time filling their spots, however. They pulled in wing Nimari Burnett (6- foot-4, 190) from Alabama, On3's No. 120 portal player nationally, March 30 to get the ball rolling. Burnett, a former four-star and On3's No. 29 player nationally in the 2020 class, initially committed to Texas Tech for 2020-21 before transferring to Ala- bama. He missed the entire 2021-22 campaign with an injury and then started the first nine games of the season for the Crim- son Tide before hurting his left wrist and missing significant time. He returned to action later in the year but averaged only 17.7 minutes per game for the season. "There were about 15-20 teams in the mix," Burnett said on "The Next Round," a Birmingham, Ala., sports talk show. "I had a couple really good options — some high-major looks, some mid-major looks. "Obviously, it's a question when you're going to your third school — that's one thing — and the second thing is if you'll be eligible or not. "But knowing [Michigan head coach] Juwan Howard, knowing the roster struc- ture there and knowing the type of culture that he has there, I will be a part of some- thing that's kind of on the come up. "He's had some good years there. And last year wasn't as good, but he definitely is looking to bring it back up." Burnett averaged 5.6 points and 2 re- bounds per contest last season, shooting 32.1 percent on threes and 46.3 percent from inside the arc. He insisted he wasn't "disgruntled" at Alabama — just search- ing for a place with more opportunity. "I'm a winner, and I want to be a part of winning at the same time as being a big impact guy," he said. "It was a great deci- sion, a familiar team, a familiar coach." Burnett, originally from Chicago, grew up following Howard closely and devel- oped an even better relationship with him during the recruiting process. He's now where some would say he should have been all along. The second pickup was a relative sur- prise. Power forward Tray Jackson, a Detroit native who started his career at Missouri before transferring to Seton Hall, pledged to the Wolverines April 7. The 6-10, 215-pounder averaged 6.5 points and 2.2 re- bounds per game for the Pirates last year and shot 37.5 percent from three-point range. A former top-100 prep, Jackson played his prep ball at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. "I chose Michigan because it's close to home, and it means a lot for me to be able to come and play in front of my family," Jackson told On3. "I chose Coach Howard because of his experience be- ing around the game at a high level, but also the vision he has for my development on and off the court." Jackson notched 13 points and 6 rebounds against Michi- gan at Crisler Center two years ago in a Pirates win. He had a handful of double-digit scor- ing games this season, includ- ing 15 on 3-for-3 three-point shooting in a win over Butler. The fifth-year student averaged 14.7 minutes per game last season after seeing 18.1 a year prior. He averaged 6.8 points and 3.5 rebounds as a junior. In addi- tion to his nice game against Michigan (in which he made all three of his triples), Jackson put up 21 points with 5 of 9 tri- ples at Georgetown, 16 with 4 of 6 three- pointers in an upset win at Villanova, and 17 with 5 triples in 5 attempts in a win at Xavier. In short … he can shoot the ball and will give Michigan another shooting option at the four. But the biggest pledge came shortly after Jackson committed — hours, in fact. Shooting guard Caleb Love, a former five-star prospect in the 2020 class, spent three seasons at North Carolina and has two years of eligibility remaining. The 6-4, 200-pounder averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest in 2022-23, shooting 45.5 per- cent on twos and 29.9 percent on threes (244 attempts). The Tar Heels were ❱ MICHIGAN BASKETBALL Wolverines' 2023-24 Roster Will Look Markedly Different With New Additions Shooting guard Caleb Love, a former five-star prospect in the 2020 class, is transferring from North Carolina to Michigan. The 6-4, 200-pounder averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last season. PHOTO COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA ATHLETICS