Tomorrow is the final day of the early signing period. Despite several priority prospects committing to other programs in recent weeks, Michigan has done a great job of moving on and ramping up pursuit of available instant-impact types. However, the center of attention remains Hunter Dickinson and all eyes are locked on a potential decision this week. We dive into that, the Isaiah Todd situation and reset the guard board below.

Down To The Wire

Michigan is picking up a ton of buzz for top-40 center Hunter Dickinson. The Wolverines have received the last 3 crystal balls on 247, the most recent coming from 247 director of scouting Jerry Meyer. Rivals’s equivalent, Eric Bossi, also put in a future forecast for Michigan. This has the feel of nice things, perhaps.

The problem: while most projections are now in favor of Michigan, Dickinson himself has yet to set an announcement date and doesn’t speak to the media much. Predictions are coming in for Michigan but when analysts explain themselves they aren't proclaiming Dickinson a lock.

I was first to report that Dickinson may be down to an informal top 2 of Michigan and Florida State. 247 repeated those sentiments a few days later before yesterday’s nugget that suggests Notre Dame is on par with Michigan and Florida State:

“We are both getting feedback that it remains very much up in the air, and that Hunter is genuinely torn right now. At this point I am putting Notre Dame on the same line as Michigan and Florida State. It just seems like the kid is totally torn and really doesn't know what to do.”

A development that certainly won’t hurt the Wolverines is locking up the commitment of Ziyah Holman. The blue-chip track star is the girlfriend of Hunter Dickinson. For what its worth, I’m told the girlfriend may not be a huge factor here, but it gives him one more thing to think about in favor of Michigan.

It seems nobody has a solid handle on the situation right now, but Hunter has been expected to make an early-period decision for quite some time. If Dickinson does make an announcement within the next 24 hours, Michigan is the most likely landing spot. But not a guaranteed one. 

[Hit THE JUMP for potential new sharpshooters.]

No Early Signing for Todd

Isaiah Todd's mother told ESPN they're planning to wait until the spring to sign with Michigan. "Still committed!"

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) November 17, 2019

Todd’s mother, affectionately known as Mrs. V, is certainly an influential figure in her son’s recruitment, and rightfully so. She has always been true to her word as it relates to my personal interaction with her.

That said, this does give some pause to his commitment status as rumors have circulated concerning the possibility that Isaiah may pursue the overseas option upon graduating. There’s no doubt the staff put forth their best efforts in urging Todd to put pen to paper during the early-signing period in order to avoid this exact situation. That may be telling on its own merit.

This is definitely a situation to monitor, and one where the staff must be prepared for all possible outcomes.

Perimeter Shift

When Nimari Burnett gave his word to Texas Tech, the staff quickly pivoted to top-50 guard Adam Miller. Despite setting an announcement date of November 21st among a final 3 of Illinois, Arizona and Louisville the day before Michigan offered, Miller tweeted that he would be visiting Michigan this weekend before deleting the same. Sam Webb says the visit is still a possibility this weekend, but not confirmed at this point.

Illinois is thought to be the favorite here if a commitment comes to fruition on Thursday. That said, a commitment made after the early-signing period has the feel of a recruitment that may be far from over. There are some Juwan Howard connections here. Miller is from the Chicago-area and played with Mac Irvin on the AAU circuit, the same Nike-sponsored club his son Jace suits up for during the Summer.

There are simply too many variables here to have a strong feel for how things are going to play out.

As mentioned last week, 2020 CA guard Josh Christopher will take his official visit to Michigan this weekend. While Houston-Baptist isn’t a marquee game, it does provide the staff the opportunity to give undivided attention to Christopher with the game not likely to be very competitive.

Happy Trails

As mentioned above, five-star guard Nimari Burnett committed to Texas Tech.