Five-star center Walker Kessler sets return visit to Michigan

Walker Kessler, one of the top prospects available in the 2020 basketball recruiting class, is set to make a return visit to the University of Michigan this weekend, according to a report from Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider.

This comes on the heels of Monday night’s news that five-star shooting guard Jaden Springer will be making an official visit to Ann Arbor on Aug. 29. Four-star point guard commit Zeb Jackson will also be around when the two elite prospects make their way to Ann Arbor.

Kessler, the nation’s third-ranked center and 15th-ranked player nationally, had cooled on Michigan after John Beilein left to coach the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Juwan Howard has made him a big priority for the Wolverines and has put his program in a position to make a play for his services this weekend.

We are not sure to this point what Howard’s Michigan will look like, but given his NBA background and experience coaching big men, the center and forward positions seem primed to be a focus.

The other schools in contention for Kessler’s services include Auburn, Cal, Duke, Gonzaga and North Carolina and he is expected to make his college decision in the near future, so Michigan has a shot to give him something to think about with the visit this weekend.

Jerry Meyer of 247Sports compares Kessler to Brook Lopez:

Good size and build for a center while appearing to still be growing. Average athlete. Gets up and down the court, though. Greatest strength is a variety of scoring moves, including hook shots. Can stretch defense with shooting. Good hands and feel for the game. Positional rebounder and defender. Worst case scenario projects as a solid NBA backup center.

Football will dominate the headlines this weekend, but Michigan fans may want to keep an eye on the basketball recruiting trail, as well.