Another busy week on the recruiting trail has brought more of your questions to be answered in this week’s Wednesday’s Leftovers. Pitt is far from done with its roster construction for next season, a subject we highlight, along with Maryland’s point guard need, Michigan’s five-star hunt, and the national recruitment that Hunter Sallis now enjoys.
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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
Pitt has just one scholarship to fill for next season as things stand now, but Div. I programs usually average about two transfers every offseason so roster room shouldn’t be that big of a concern this offseason.
This all brings up the Panthers' pursuit of Femi Odukale and William Jeffress, their top two targets this winter. I would expect for Odukale to commit before Jeffress. The Panthers are in a great spot with both.
Odukale, as we first reported last week, will take an official visit to Pitt on Feb 22. He has already visited St. Bonaventure and UMass, and is also being recruited by Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and Washington State. No other visits have been planned and there is a chance that this could be his final trip before he decides, which would bode well for the Panthers.
Jeffress is now officially a member of the 2020 class. He has visited Pitt more than any other program. Jeffress is not expected to begin taking official visits until after his high school season concludes in March. He is also being recruited by Baylor, Marquette, Memphis, Penn State and Northwestern.
Maryland definitely wants a point guard for next season. The Terps could move some current players around some, and will enroll three-star guard Marcus Dockery, but a true facilitating agent is a major need for Mark Turgeon.
Zion Harmon will make his college decision on Mar. 12. He is currently a member of the 2021 class, but look for Harmon to reclassify into the 2020 class. Terps remain in catch-up mode with his commitment just a month away.
Karim Mane remains a target for Maryland, but the program's chances with him have diminished of late.
Chances are that a prospect the Terps might not be recruiting right now could ultimately be their answer at point guard. Whether that comes from a grad-transfer or a spring decommitment, the Maryland backcourt issues should be clarified in the months ahead.
Nothing new on Josh Christopher. Arizona State and Michigan are the two to beat but he is not expected to make a commitment until the spring. There is still a chance that he takes an official visit to either or both of Missouri and UCLA, but unless something drastically happens, Christopher will be playing for the Sun Devils or Wolverines in the fall.
Regarding Greg Brown and his visit to Michigan, while it was a great win for the Wolverines, a single victory is not going to turn the tide with the five-star prospect. Michigan did a phenomenal job of even getting a visit out of Brown, but the Wolverines are still behind.
Brown is nowhere near a decision. He will take his recruitment into the spring just as many blue-chip prospects do that decide against signing early. He will wait out various coaching changes and monitor his finalists’ rosters before deciding. I would bet on the field compared to the Wolverines.
Hunter Sallis is in no rush to make a college decision but rather is enjoying the newfound, national recruitment that has been presented. Gonzaga was the latest to host him on an official visit and their interest in him has not dropped off; earlier this week, the Zags were on hand for one his final high school games of his junior season.
Keep an eye on Oregon as the Ducks were one of the first to really recruit Sallis before his breakout. Dana Altman, who was formerly the Creighton head coach, possesses a few connections with Sallis that may help.
No other official visits have been scheduled but some could be taken once his high school season completes in the coming weeks. Kansas has already offered and have had him on their campus, the in-state powers, Creighton and Nebraska, must be accounted for, as should a group of others including Iowa State, Louisville, Marquette and Ohio State.
They do. I probably like Indiana's chances more with Khristian Lander, but the Hoosiers are definitely potential suitors for Trey Kaufman and Caleb Furst.
Lander has the chance to reclassify into the 2020 class but, either way, he is a top target of IU’s which has been the case since Archie Miller took over in Bloomington. Others involved include Louisville, Memphis and Michigan. All programs would be more than willing to take him this fall if he decides to enroll a year early.
Indiana's biggest competitor for Kaufman is probably Purdue. For Furst, Michigan State has garnered most of the talk surrounding his recruitment, though Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Purdue and Virginia are also under consideration.
In the 2021 class, Indiana has also laid the proper groundwork with Blake Wesley, Aminu Mohammed, Trey Patterson and Logan Duncomb.
