Michigan basketball coach Dusty May knows a thing or two about landing the state’s top player.
It was earlier this week when Orchard Lake St. Mary’s guard Trey McKenney, a five-star recruit and the No. 1-rated player in the state signed a Big Ten scholarship agreement line to join the Wolverines. It’s not to that same point just yet.
But it seems to be only a matter of time for five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood.
On Thursday night, shortly before Michigan hoops beat Tarleton State, 72-49, Underwood announced on social media that he would be flipping his pledge from LSU to Michigan. The internet went berserk, and May spoke on how influential something like this can be.
“I don’t want any secondary violations, but I’m extremely excited to watch football next year in the Big House,” May said without technically referencing Underwood. “This is a big day for the University of Michigan; there are a lot of people who contribute to making this happen and I think we’re all grateful for that.”
‘WE’RE BACK!’: Bryce Underwood’s flip has Michigan fans going bonkers
Many of those people behind the scenes are in the name, image and likeness (NIL) space. In particular, the Champions Circle collective, U-M’s main affiliate, is largely credited with providing the resources to pull off the biggest flip in program history.
“We are very excited to keep Bryce home in Michigan as he continues to build his legacy,” chairman Nate Forbes was quoted in a Champions Circle post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Wolverines’ recruiting class jumped to No. 9 in the nation, per 247 Sports, after the announcement, which doesn’t seem to be the end of the news in this recruiting cycle.
Michigan, which now has notably more juice than when Thursday started, is going to continue to hit the trail hard. The 72-hour early signing period begins on Dec. 4, with National Signing Day on Feb. 5.
From May’s perspective, it all plays into the success of the athletic department.
“We’re all going to benefit from acquiring talent like that,” May said. “The highest level of talent in any sport, we are all going to benefit from that.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.
Dusty May, who just landed 5-star PG Trey McKenney, speaks to what landing a big time prospect means.
Michigan football, of course, flipped No. 1 Class of 2025 prospect Bryce Underwood from LSU earlier this evening. pic.twitter.com/uBel70rMrd
— Tony Garcia | Detroit Free Press (@RealTonyGarcia) November 22, 2024
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dusty May on Bryce Underwood: ‘Big day for the University of Michigan’
