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Michigan Wolverines fans have been concerned in the last day or so with the news that five-star commit Isaiah Todd may not be signing with the basketball program during the early period that runs through next Wednesday. Those concerns seem valid, especially when you take into consideration the whispers that he had considered going pro overseas and also that one of the nation’s top players rolled the dice on Juwan Howard despite not knowing what the program would look like.
With Todd, Sam Webb said this morning that it is not entirely out of the question that he does sign early ($), so that could be something still in play over the next six days ahead of the Nov. 20 deadline. If he does not sign by then, the next signing period would begin on April 15, 2020.
Basketball recruiting is not as long-term an investment as football is because a lot of players, especially the elite recruits like Todd, expect to be playing in the NBA or at least in consideration for that after their first year of college. Because they have to be out of high school for a year, any decision they make is essentially a business decision.
A player of Todd’s caliber may not have much to gain by signing early as it’s always possible that a better offer could come along from his standpoint. It also helps to see what type of program Michigan is building and how he may be used that might give him a little bit of pause to sign over the next week or so. But from an outside perspective, that he would commit and then less than a month later choose to not send in his letter of intent certainly would feel like something to be concerned about.
Four-star center Hunter Dickinson feels like a player that could drop in favor of the Wolverines any day now and perhaps Todd is waiting for that next domino to fall so he does not feel as if he is on an island without talent around him in this class. We thought that his commitment would create that effect, but to this point we are still waiting to see the results. He feels destined for Michigan still, but getting him sooner rather than later feels like something they can use to their advantage in getting Todd to sign.
Howard’s biggest win on the recruiting trail yet was to get Todd to commit to the Wolverines, but it might be even bigger for him to get the NLI sent in for Todd before the Nov. 20 deadline.
Shea Patterson calls MSU game ‘most intense’
One of Shea Patterson’s best moments in a Michigan uniform came last season in the 21-7 win in East Lansing with a handful of plays made late. Having played in the SEC and then almost two years at Michigan, he feels the matchup with the Spartans is the most intense one year-in and year-out.
“It’s definitely the most intense,” Patterson said. “I think both sides of the ball are going to get our best game and we’re going to get theirs. I think the way their season is going, right now they still got a lot to play for. They are playing for their coach, they are playing for their fans, they’re playing for that logo on their chest. So, we are doing the same. So, I think it will be a well fought game.”
It will not come easy for the Wolverines this weekend offensively, as even with MSU’s woes all over the field, they still put out a tough and physical defense.
“I think they have a really good front seven, they have some guys, some good athletes in the secondary. So, I think we’re going to continue what we’ve been doing and just continue to execute,” Patterson said.
Other Brews
- Michigan EDGE Josh Uche comes in at No. 76 on Pro Football Focus’ latest 2020 NFL Draft big board update.
- Notre Dame’s sellout streak of 273 games is coming to an end this weekend, but they do not seem all that concerned about it.
- OSU defensive end Chase Young has had his suspension reduced to two games and will miss Saturday’s game against Rutgers. He will be able to return for the Penn State and Michigan games. How convenient!