We have seen a slew of commitments since last week as Creighton, Duke, Illinois, North Carolina, and Ohio State all added to their classes. More could be on the way and in this week’s #TwitterTuesday, we take a deep dive into how UNC could add further to its 2020 class, where Josh Christopher might end up, Pitt’s chance with RJ Davis, the latest with Gethro Muscadin, and the next five-star that could commit.
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The likeliest of the four is Isaiah Todd, though he will not be in town but rather, will be taking his official visit to Michigan this weekend. The Wolverines are the sneaky dark horse for him, but whenever things are finalized, I see Todd in Chapel Hill.
Cade Cunningham remains a toss-up right now. I am still sticking with Oklahoma State for him, but if anyone can pull him away from the Cowboys, it is UNC. Greg Brown would be an awesome addition, too, but unless Cunningham, who is a friend and travel teammate of his, picks the Tar Heels, the chances of him landing at the blue blood is minimal.
Lastly, Ziaire Williams has been often connected with UNC. What helps even further is the great relationship that Cunningham and Williams have forged. I do not see Williams leaving the west coast, but if he does, the Tar Heels chances with Cunningham would be ramped up another few notches.
Josh Christopher is one of the best available guards this fall and is down to a final five of Arizona State, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and UCLA. Many had believed he was set to commit to UK earlier this summer upon landing an offer. That could still be true but the recent commitments of Terrence Clarke and BJ Boston could have muddied things up for Christopher in Lexington. Sure, John Calipari has shown in the past that he can make the numbers game work, but the situations at his other finalists might be more appeasing now compared to a month ago.
I am not sure that there is a clear-cut favorite for Christopher, but I also do not see him leaving the west coast for college. Michigan has put in some major work with him and his older cousin being the strength coach only enhances Missouri’s chances with the five-star.
However, UCLA would love to pair his scoring with the elite playmaking of Daishen Nix, and the idea of playing close to home and for such brand that the Bruins represent could be difficult to decline. However, Arizona State is definitely not out of it as the Sun Devils may have the strongest relationship with him and his family, which was only boosted further earlier this year upon the commitment of his brother, Caleb Christopher, who is now a freshman.
ASU is my pick with UCLA not far behind, but a timeline towards a commitment has yet to be addressed.
Pitt is in a great spot with RJ Davis. The Panthers were the slight favorite going into his visit over the weekend and by all accounts, his trip went great. He is expected to take an official visit to Marquette this weekend and finish things out at North Carolina next month. By mid-October, he will have visited all four of his finalists with the last member, Georgetown, being a place that he saw a few weeks ago.
Davis will take his recruitment through the middle of next month and visit UNC, that is unless they can strike in the backcourt with someone in the mold of Caleb Love, though the Tar Heels would love to have both. Pitt fans might feel a little anxious if Davis were to commit over a month after visiting, but he will end up at Pitt.
The top of the center position is already depleted, which makes the talents of Gethro Muscadin that much more valuable. The Rivals150 prospect boosted his stock tremendously this summer, which brought some of the nation’s best into his recruitment. He just took an official visit to Kansas over the weekend, and has also been to the campuses at Kansas State and Minnesota. Next on tap is an unofficial visit to Louisville this weekend, before completing his official visit tour to Texas Tech on the weekend of Oct. 4.
He could potentially take his final allotted official visit before deciding, but Muscadin is not someone that is willing to play out his recruitment. A commitment is not entirely too far off and he could potentially decide a week or so after his visit to Texas Tech. For now, the Red Raiders should be deemed the favorite with Kansas State sitting as the dark horse.
I am not sure if there is a five-star that is on the precipice of his commitment but there are a few to keep an eye on.
Jaden Springer will visit Tennessee in two weeks and then make a decision. He is down to a final three that also includes Memphis and Michigan; don’t underestimate the Tigers or Wolverines but the Vols do have the lead.
Sharife Cooper has been a perceived Auburn lean for a while now. No one has a great pulse on his commitment timeline but for now, the Tigers could tempt the five-star to committing at any moment.
Isaiah Jackson will visit Syracuse this weekend and then Alabama next month; he has been difficult to read, which is why a surprise commitment would not, well, surprise.
Scottie Barnes has a bevy of visits ahead but he also is an Oregon lean that the Ducks could push over the edge in committing at any second. If there is one program that could step in the way, it is Florida State.
Finally, as discussed above, Todd has been to North Carolina’s campus several times in recent weeks. Does he wait things out and take all of his official visits to his finalists or end things abruptly for the Tar Heels? He is one to watch.
