Rumor Mill: Michigan, Rutgers, Louisville closing in on top targets
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Commitments continue to fly off the board amid a flurry of recruiting activity in the 2025 class. In today’s Rumor Mill, Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy has a look ahead to what the next few weeks may hold on that front, as he shares the recruiting rumors he’s heard floating around the basketball world at large.
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MICHIGAN IN GOOD POSITION WITH TREY MCKENNEY
Michigan is in need of good news, as the program searches for the first verbal commitment of the Dusty May era, but may be closing in on a celebratory moment because May and his staff have positioned themselves extremely well with four-star guard Trey McKenney.
The No. 19 prospect in the Rivals150, McKenney recently trimmed his long list of scholarship offers to include just Michigan, USC and Georgetown. Nothing is ever set in stone in recruiting, but it seems as though Wolverines fans should feel cautiously optimistic.
McKenney is yet to set a decision date, but such an announcement is expected to come in the next couple of weeks.
RUTGERS MAKING MOVE WITH CALIFORNIA-BASED GUARD
Seton Hall, USC, Rutgers and West Virginia have all received visits from three-star guard Lino Mark this month. Now, with his frequent flier miles logged, the Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame High School star is nearing the end of his recruitment.
Mark is set to announce his commitment on Wednesday, and it seems as though a couple programs have separated themselves from the pack in the days leading into his choice. Rutgers should be considered the leader in the clubhouse, but West Virginia, which Mark visited just last week, can’t be dismissed entirely.
The Scarlet Knights offered Mark months ago, but it was his Sept. 18 visit to campus that seems to have aggressively pushed Steve Pikiell's program up Mark’s list. Of course, Mark’s recent visit to WVU is worth noting because the 6-foot-2 floor general set a commitment date in the immediate aftermath of the trip, but the close battle feels as though it’s Rutgers’ to lose as we speed toward decision day.
Mark is also still considering USC and Seton Hall in addition to the Scarlet Knights and Mountaineers.
LOUISVILLE PRIORITIZING SHELTON HENDERSON
Shelton Henderson may not be as far along in his process as the two prospects mentioned above, but there’s reason to monitor Louisville as the five-star forward inches closer to a decision on where he’ll play his college hoops.
It would be presumptuous to call Louisville “the leader” to land the 6-foot-6 wing at this juncture, but word is that head coach Pat Kelsey and company have become “a serious threat” to land Henderson’s pledge. There are sharks in the water, of course, as national brands Duke and Texas remain in the mix, but people with intel on the situation insist that the Cardinals have more than a puncher’s chance to add Henderson, who visited Texas over the weekend, to their 2025 class.
Henderson visited Louisville in late August, and it seems as though the trip made an impression that still resonates with the five-star today. So while he’s no lock to land in the Bluegrass State, the fact that Kelsey has the Cardinals in the thick of the hunt with a five-star should be encouraging to an exhausted Louisville fan base that watched the program go a combined 12-52 over the last two seasons.