RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position
STARTING FIVE: Changes coming to the summer recruiting calendar?
In this week’s Twitter Tuesday mailbag, we take a deep dive into the recruitment of DJ Carton, look at how Louisville’s 2019 class is shaping up and wonder if North Carolina is the next to offer Josh Green.
Michigan is definitely a top contender for D.J. Carton, but I wouldn’t say that the Wolverines are the favorite for his commitment.
One of the top lead guard prospects in the 2019 class that has emerged as a must-get for all involved, Carton has narrowed his list of schools to Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, Xavier, Marquette and Iowa.
He will take his first official visit to Michigan on June 28 and then complete the month at Indiana with another official visit. Those two programs, along with Ohio State, should be seen as heavy contenders. Do not underestimate the in-state Iowa Hawkeyes’ program, either
Many believe that Carton is close to a commitment, but he has been vocal recently about remaining patient with the process.
Chris Mack celebrated his first high school commitment as the head coach at Louisville earlier this month with the addition of Rivals150 junior Josh Nickelberry. More could be in sight as the new staff has done a great job of getting involved with some of the top prospects nationally and also getting some of these respective recruits onto campus.
Two to keep tabs on are David Johnson, a standout local product that originally committed to Louisville during the Rick Pitino era. Mack has done a good job of showing to Johnson that he is wanted and it would be a surprise to see him go elsewhere. Along with Johnson is four-star forward Jae'lyn Withers. He recently visited the campus and may commit in the coming months, giving Louisville a super talented mismatch in the frontcourt that can defend different spots, make shots and also create his own shot.
Others on Louisville’s target list include Jahmius Ramsey, Rocket Watts, Kahlil Whitney, Terrence Shannon, Aidan Igiehon and Isaiah Stewart. Ramsey may be the likeliest to end up a Louisville commit but regardless, they have done a commendable job of playing catch-up with each prospect and should have a punchers chance as things wind down.
Josh Green is one of the top guard prospects in the 2019 class and it a surprise that some of the blue bloods haven’t prioritized the five-star guard already. Arizona, Villanova, Kansas, USC and Florida have all offered, but his profile and performance warrants a blue blood recruitment.
North Carolina has begun to show interest after seeing Green this spring at the second Under Armour session in Indianapolis. Since then, while an offer has not been made, the Tar Heels have reached out and will keep a close eye on him this July. He has been tremendous each stop of the way, so it would not be a surprise to see the Tar Heels jump in with an offer in the coming weeks due to his versatile abilities.
Green will be joined at IMG Academy by five-star junior Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Roy Williams coached Robinson-Earl's father at Kansas and North Carolina is squarely in the mix for his commitment. Seeing that the Tar Heels will be making continual stops at IMG in the months ahead for Robinson-Earl, it would make it that much easier for the program to recruit Green.
Green’s recruitment remains wide open as he has not given a ton of time or thought about where things stand currently. Look for his recruitment to bleed into the winter months and while Kansas, Villanova, USC, Florida and Arizona will have a say, a North Carolina offer could change things. It should be noted that Kentucky has begun to express interest, ramping things up to the highest level as Green enters his final month of travel ball play.
Unlike last year, where Vanderbilt sat in a tremendous spot to secure the elite talent from the 2018 class, which the Commodores ultimately ended up doing, the program sits in a lesser position today when it comes to the 2019 class. However, that does not mean they aren’t capable of landing a few Rivals150 prospects in the coming months.
Majok Deng, a 6-foot-5 wing from Arizona, is a potential commit waiting to happen and while he has flown under the radar some, he would be a fine addition in replacing senior wing Joe Toye.
Jaiden DeLaire and Tre Mitchell, two members of the Rivals150 that play their high school ball within the New England prep circuit, are two other top targets for Vandy. Each saw their stock soar this spring on the travel circuit, but Bryce Drew and his staff did a good job of getting involved beforehand as they may have a leg up on some of its competition.
Others to keep tabs on include Daniel Ramsey, Greg Gantt and Max Lorca.
