Friday Recruiting Roundup: What Michigan does at QB after the retirement of JD Johnson

Happy Friday and welcome in to another Michigan Recruiting Roundup.

We have some major developments in football and basketball, so let’s get right to it.

Where U-M turns with the retirement of JD Johnson

If you didn’t hear the unfortunate news, Michigan 2020 quarterback commit JD Johnson had to medically retire from football due to an “undecided birth defect.” Fortunately, head coach Jim Harbaugh is honoring his scholarship, so he will still attend school at U-M.

This leaves Michigan with no quarterback in its 2020 class, which is, obviously, not good. So where does Harbaugh go from here? Look no further than four-star CJ Stroud, who the Wolverines extended an offer to earlier this week, according to 247Sports’ Greg Biggins ($).

Stroud — a 6-foot-2.5, 187-pounder from Rancho Cucamonga, California — is the No. 4 pro-style quarterback and No. 137 overall player in the 2020 class, according to 247Sports’ composite. He holds other offers from UCLA, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and Ohio State, who just offered him at the beginning of October. He also visited OSU recently, and received a flurry of crystal balls for the Buckeyes.

Biggins, however, reports Stroud is very open in his recruitment, and is actually close with Michigan target, four-star cornerback Darion Green-Warren. This may lead to a future visit, especially since Green-Warren is slated to visit for the Ohio State game.

With Stroud being so open in his recruitment this late into the cycle, I could see him taking his decision to the traditional February signing day. Most of the quarterbacks in this cycle are already committed to a program, and Stroud is the top-ranked quarterback remaining in this class, so it’s imperative the Wolverines get the ball rolling here if they want a quarterback in their 2020 class.

Update on 2020 four-star SG

Michigan basketball recently made the top three list for 2020 four-star guard Moses Moody, along with Arkansas and Virginia. Now it is a little more clear who is really at the top.

Speaking with Moody’s father ($), The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb found out “Virginia is running a distant third,” and “Arkansas probably has a little bit of an edge due to proximity to home.”

There are pros and cons for both Michigan and Arkansas. The pros for Michigan include Juwan Howard and his NBA connections, and the fact Phil Martelli is around. The cons, which appear to be big factors at this point, are the weather and distance. Also brought up as a con was Howard being a first-year head coach, but that is kind of negated by Martelli being as experienced as he is.

As for Arkansas, the hometown/short distance is very appealing to Moody, as is being familiar with their coaching staff. The cons don’t seem as bad as Michigan’s, quite honestly, which are the lack of success at the school and the “support for the program has waned at times.”

All in all, this isn’t the news you’d like to hear as a Michigan fan. There had been talk about Moody wanting to get away from his home state of Arkansas and go to school elsewhere, but from this interview, it doesn’t seem like the case.

Moody would be a stellar addition to Michigan’s 2020 class, which features five-star forward Isaiah Todd and four-star guard Zeb Jackson. But if Moody doesn’t work out, all focus will shift toward five-star guard Nimari Burnett.

Top PG in 2021 has good trip to U-M

Along with all the football prospects who visited last weekend for the Notre Dame game, 2021 five-star point guard Khristian Lander also took a visit to the Big House.

The 6-foot-1, 160-pounder from Evansville, Indiana not only watched the football game, but caught up with Howard, as he told 247Sports’ Brian Snow ($).

“It was a really good experience,” Lander said. “I got to sit in at practice and talk to Coach (Juwan) Howard and staff about style of play and how I’d fit in. Also, I went to the football game, and even though it was a torrential downpour the entire time, I had a lot of fun, and that was a great experience.”

With Lander being an Indiana native, you’d think the Hoosiers are in prime position to land a five-star prospect in their own backyard. But that isn’t the case with Lander, as he grew up a fan of the Wolverines.

“It was crazy,” Lander said. “I didn’t ever think I would be at this point where I would be at Michigan on a visit, the school I watched growing up. On top of that, to have one of the Fab Five being head coach was just incredible.”

A decision is not expected anytime soon for Lander, but it is a great step in the right direction for Howard and company.

That’s all for this week! Come back Monday for more recruiting news.