Michigan’s upward trend continues for five-star 2020 guard Josh Christopher

The Michigan Wolverines have been up-and-down on the court in Juwan Howard’s first season at the helm, but he started hot and has stayed hot on the recruiting trail and may be close to landing his biggest fish yet.

Just over a month ago, we wrote on how the buzz was growing for five-star guard Josh Christopher potentially joining Michigan’s already-loaded 2020 recruiting class. As of this posting, they might now be close to surging for the elite prospect.

Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider made his way out to California over the weekend to interview the young star. While he seemed to not give any indication on what he is planning on doing or when he will decide to commit, Webb returned home and put in a 247Sports Crystal Ball pick to Michigan ($). Shortly after, Josh Henschke of TMI followed Webb in forecasting Christopher to Ann Arbor.

That makes four-straight selections for the Wolverines here since the start of the new year with the others coming in the form of 247Sports Director of Recruiting Jerry Meyer and BIReports’ Dain Irvin.

Meyer’s scouting report on Christopher’s 247Sports profile reads as follows:

“Excellent strength and good length for a shooting guard. Functional athleticism. Makes plays in traffic. Has great body control and ability to make tough shots and shots off one foot. Solid ball handler. More scorer than passer but can distribute. Rebounds position. Has potential to be an outstanding, versatile defender. Has a high floor as a prospect.”

The other schools that will remain factors for the 10th-overall player in the 2020 cycle are UCLA, Arizona State and Missouri, but things are clearly trending Michigan here. We have seen recruitments fall through before, but there’s a ton of buzz that continues to build for the cherry on top of Howard’s inaugural class.

Christopher is a scoring machine and would give Michigan a player of creating his own offense from the moment he steps on campus. The Wolverines of the present lack a go-to scorer and someone that can go get a bucket consistently when they need it and Christopher has the look of a player that could fill that type of role.

The Wolverines have five commitments currently in the 2020 recruiting class in five-star forward Isaiah Todd, four-star center Hunter Dickinson, four-star guard Zeb Jackson, four-star forward Terrance Williams and three-star forward Jace Howard.

They are currently at their scholarship limit (chart here) for the 2020-21 season, so any additional players they add may need attrition to occur for there to be room. This could come either via NBA Draft entry or transfer portal. There have also been questions as to whether or not Todd will ultimately sign or instead go pro overseas, while others have wondered if Howard will wind up being a walk-on. There are a lot of factors in play, which makes things impossible to predict as of this posting.

Webb and Henschke are as trustworthy as it gets on the Michigan basketball recruiting front, so Tuesday’s latest should excite fans and followers of the program. Christopher would be the crown jewel of the cycle and the most impressive get so far if Howard and his staff can close this out.

For now, sit back and let the highlights do the talking: