Five-star 2020 shooting guard Joshua Christopher released a new top five schools on Tuesday night, adding USC to the mix and replacing Kentucky. The Michigan Wolverines remain in the mix along with Arizona State, Missouri and UCLA.
But wait, didn’t he just trim down to a list of four back in late February? He did, as Michigan, ASU, Mizzou and UCLA were the teams there. That has led people to wonder what is going on with USC now involved.
USC has been somewhat hot on the trail recently with a slew of grad transfers and a commitment already from No. 1 overall player Evan Mobley, plus they are in Christopher’s backyard. But what seems to have spearheaded the Trojans’ inclusion in his new top five is a tweet from former NBA player Nick Young, who went to USC.
Now all we need is @Jaygup23 to add USC to his List and will have the best team in college
— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) March 31, 2020
Interesting https://t.co/1ed8GJ8roQ
— Josh(ua) Christopher (@Jaygup23) March 31, 2020
Then, came the updated top five.
Top 5 new and improved. pic.twitter.com/GtbM0vfexg
— Josh(ua) Christopher (@Jaygup23) April 1, 2020
Christopher, the 10th-ranked player in the 2020 class, likes to have fun on social media, which is something most can relate to during these times where we are stuck inside. The coronavirus outbreak and subsequent restrictions has taken the shine off of what should have been a pretty fun end to the recruiting process for Christopher, which is something that he has even admitted publicly.
Maize n Brew spoke with a few people familiar with the recruiting process between Christopher and Michigan and none believe that this changes much of anything, nor are they worried Michigan is slipping here. The Wolverines are still the heavy favorite and those in the know see this more of a “when, not if” situation as it pertains to his commitment, whenever it may come. The spring signing period opens on April 15, so things could happen here in the near future.
As far as USC goes, 247Sports (as of this posting) still has the schools that made up his top four as “warm” in his recruitment with the Trojans still on the outside looking in. Michigan still holds all 11 Crystal Ball picks.
Fans are anxious for any sports news, let alone a potential five-star commitment as the cherry on top of Juwan Howard’s first full cycle, but be patient. Take a deep breath. This recruitment is likely nearing its end and there will be closure one way or another before too long.