Michigan Basketball Recruiting: Kobe Bufkin, Class Of 2021 Notes
Michigan is expected to get a pledge from four-star Kobe Bufkin today, which would bring the total to three in the 2021 class. The Wolverines also have commitments from Chicago's Isaiah Barnes and Minnesota's Will Tschetter.
RELATED: Michigan Wolverines Basketball Recruiting: Kobe Bufkin Announcing Friday
Bufkin is expected to announce his decision on social media between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. (eastern).
That would give the Wolverines the No. 4 2021 class, though it's early and they'll need to add to it to remain in the top 15.
There are several candidates, as we've pointed out in the 2021 Hot Board. One of those — five-star big man Chet Holmgren — seems highly unlikely. Michigan is in Holmgren's top seven, but Rivals.com's Eric Bossi doesn't have the Wolverines in his top five.
Gonzaga appears to be the favorite, with Ohio State on the Bulldogs' heels.
U-M was once a contender for Patrick Baldwin, Jr., but that now appears to be a Duke vs. Milwaukee battle (his dad is the head coach at the latter). Michigan is not among the top five contenders.
Four-starMatthew Cleveland announced a final five last week of Florida State, Kansas, Michigan, NC State and Stanford.
From Rivals.com's Corey Evans:
Cleveland has not said when he will announce his college decision but there is a fair chance that he will attempt to visit his finalists one more time before committing. For now, on-campus recruiting is barred until August 31 and if that moratorium is extended much beyond that date, Cleveland could commit sight unseen.
In the meantime, Florida State has garnered most of the talk with him. Michigan has picked up ground, too, since the Wolverines offered earlier in the spring. If there is one program to keep an eye on, it is Stanford. The Cardinal have a great selling point which is replacing five-star Ziaire Williams after the season.'
Meanwhile, Michigan continues to remain strong with point guard Jalen Warley.
Oregon is also in the mix, but Evans had this to say:
Jalen Warley is another that is nowhere near a college decision, and while Michigan and Virginia are among the schools to watch, don’t count out Miami with the top 25 guard.
Finally, Evans had this to say about U-M's recent efforts:
Juwan Howard is expected to reel in the commitment of Kobe Bufkin on Thursday. The information I had gathered Sunday evening led me to place my initial FutureCast on Michigan. The four-star then announced that he would be making his college decision Friday. What a week it will be for the Wolverines, kicking it off with Rivals150 forward Will Tschetterand completing it with the smooth-scoring wing that is Bufkin.
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