Four-star guard Joseph Hartman from Gainesville, Florida, made an official visit to Minnesota two weeks ago, but on Wednesday he gave his verbal commitment to Michigan. He becomes the second 2026 Gophers target, along with Quinn Costello, to pledge to the Wolverines.
Niko Medved and his staff have pieced together a strong 2026 recruiting class for Minnesota. In-state standouts Nolen Anderson (Wayzata) and Cedric Tomes (East Ridge) were the first to commit, followed by intriguing big man Mpoyi, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who joined last month.
The class currently sits at No. 9 nationally, according to 247Sports. But to stay in the top 10, Minnesota will likely need to add a consensus four-star prospect as other programs continue to land high-profile commits.
“Possibility for one more. Potentially. It’s gotta be the right guy,” Medved said when asked about adding to the class. “We’ve got some guys that have visited that we really, really like, so we’ll see where that goes. After that, we’re pretty happy with the class that we have.”
With four-star guard Joseph Hartman now committed to Michigan, the only other notable target to officially visit Minnesota is East Coast guard Lucas Morillo. Landing him could significantly boost the outlook of the class, though Illinois, Texas and UCLA are also in the mix.
Meanwhile, Michigan coach Dusty May has secured both Quinn Costello and Hartman, two former Gophers targets, giving the Wolverines the nation’s No. 3 class. It’s tempting to frame May vs. Medved as a budding recruiting rivalry between two of the Big Ten’s brightest young coaches, but the Wolverines’ deeper resources and recruiting power suggest the recent head-to-head wins are more about program stature than personal battles.
The storyline will get another chapter on February 24, when Minnesota travels to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. Whether the tension of the recruiting trail carries onto the court remains to be seen.
Source: SI.com
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