It was a huge weekend for the Michigan football team with the upset win over No. 11 Oklahoma, but the basketball team took full advantage of the high-profile game too.
The 2025 National Championship basketball team was recognized in The Big House on Saturday when the Wolverines took on the Sooners, so the band was back together, including former head coach Dusty May and the three first-round NBA Draft picks. While football was hosting multiple game-day visits from top recruits in the country, basketball had a few five-stars in town too.
Mike Boynton was busy this weekend with not one, but two five-star visitors in Ann Arbor, and he even got an assist from some of his former players, like Aday Mara, who can be seen posing with 2028 five-star center Dylan Betts, who makes the Oklahoma City Thunder rookie look normal sized.
2028 five-star center Dylan Betts with Oklahoma City Thunder center and #Michigan national champion Aday Mara from his visit to Ann Arbor this weekend via his IG.
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) September 13, 2026
Betts makes Mara look like just a regular dude in this picture, too. pic.twitter.com/4NkcGyIPmf
For reference here, Mara is 7-foot-3, and so is Betts, but here, he looks a good inch or two taller than Mara. Even though Betts is a 2028 recruit and No. 5 center in the country early in his recruiting process, Boynton isn't being shy about getting guys on campus early, and there's no better time to do it than when the reigning champs are in town.
5-star Brady Pettigrew was also in town for Michigan vs. OU as a huge target for the Wolverines
Betts wasn't the only 2028 five-star recruit in Ann Arbor this weekend, as Brady Pettigrew also got to spend some time with Boynton and a few former champs. Pettigrew got some photos with Dallas Mavericks guard Morez Johnson Jr., sporting a Michigan uniform.
2028 5⭐️ guard Brady Pettigrew on his official visit to Michigan @BradyPettigreww #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/olN6xGDLpc
— uofmcoverage (@uofmcoverage) September 13, 2026
There has been a bit of curiosity about whether Pettigrew would reclassify from the Class of 2028 to 2027, especially with him having so many official visits early in his recruitment. When 2028 recruits were able to have official visits, Pettigrew quickly got his set with Michigan, Illinois, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, BYU, Ohio State, and recently added UNC and Kentucky.
If Pettigrew does choose to reclassify, he would be the biggest recruit Boynton needs to go after. Ranked as the No. 1 combo guard in the 2028 class, he would probably be ranked fairly high in the 2027 class as well.
Either way, both Pettigrew and Betts picked a great weekend to be in Ann Arbor with the atmosphere in The Big House and the champs being in town. The Wolverines put on the perfect showing for both basketball and football recruits, and hopefully Boynton can reap the benefits.
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