Michigan head coach Juwan Howard continues to look for talent from the 2020 class and beyond. Here's the latest ...
First, our update from a few days ago:
THE LATEST ON VISITORS, OFFEREES
RELATED: Wolverines Right There With Nimari Burnett
Now the latest ...
Howard and staff met with Burnett and his family Tuesday, and the visit went well. Burnett had meetings with Memphis and Oregon Sunday, the Tigers the latest addition to his list.
U-M's main competition, however, appears to be Alabama and Texas Tech in addition to Oregon. From Rivals:
Penny Hardaway has ramped things up and it sounds as if he may be generating some traction on this one. There's a good chance Burnett gives the Tigers legitimate consideration. That said, they will have some catching up to do.
Burnett has already visited Michigan officially and the Wolverines are fighting hard. But, the two programs who may have some separation from the pack could be the two he's visiting over the next couple of weekends, Oregon and Alabama.
Whenever I talked to Burnett in the spring or summer, he brought up that he was hoping to develop more as a point guard in college because he feels he needs to do so for his future beyond college. I don't see him as the kind of guy who expects to run the show full time, but at the end of the day, the ability to sell helping convert him to a point guard could end up being a big key.
While the 2020 class is huge and finding players to go with outstanding guard pledge Zeb Jackson is a priority, Howard and Co. continue to look ahead, as well. One big one, class of 2021 guard Khristian Lander, has received an offer and will be a priority.
Lander will visit Oct. 26 weekend:
Lander grew up a Michigan fan and maintains he's wide open, but some believe Indiana is his current leader.
Howard and Co. visited another elite 2021, Paolo Banchero, but the Wolverines haven't offered and U-M is not in his top nine.
The Wolverines were also in for 2021 Peyton Watson and 2022 Ty Rodgers.
Watson recently enjoyed a great visit to Arizona and will visit Washington next, later this month. USC, Oregon and Arizona State have also offered, and most believe he's going to stay out West.
Rodgers will be visiting Michigan State Sept. 28 weekend but was on U-M's campus this summer. He's former MSU standout Jason Richardson's cousin.
Finally, Michigan set a "high bar" for 2020 big man Hunter Dickinson. He told USA Today he loved his Sept. 7 weekend trip and meeting Howard was the highlight.
“I think I’d met him in person twice, but being able to really talk to him and get to know him was cool,” Dickinson said. “He’s honest and he’s not a salesman. He’s got a really good personality. He loves his school, too.”
Dickinson said he’s been a fan of Howard “for a while,” especially since watching ESPN’s “Fab Five” documentary a few years back.
“I always thought it was cool what they did and how they did it at Michigan,” Dickinson said, adding on Sanderson's strength and conditioning program stood out.
Dickinson will visit Florida State Sept. 21, and Providence, Purdue, Louisville, Notre Dame and North Carolina round out his top seven.
“I want to narrow it down as much as I can,” Dickinson said. “I will probably cut it before I make a decision; maybe to five if not more. I’ll do that in the new few weeks. I don’t really have a timeframe for a decision right now. I’ll just take these visits and go from there. I would say Michigan set a high bar for the visits. I had a good time there.”
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