Pitt target Julian Champagnie announced on Monday night that he has reclassified to 2019 and will bring his recruitment to a close with an announcement regarding his commitment on Wednesday.
Julian Champagnie. #Pitt pic.twitter.com/y2YrJ7wQUT
— Jim Hammett (@JimHammett) May 28, 2019
“After deep thought, my family and I have decided that it is in my best interest to return to the class of 2019 and attend college this coming fall,” Champagnie wrote on Instagram. “I will be making my college announcement this Wednesday.”
Champagnie is considered a three-star small forward by Rivals, but he has no star rating from 247Sports or ESPN. He hails from Brooklyn, New York, where he was a standout at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School alongside his brother Justin Champagnie, who committed to Pitt back on March 14.
During his time at Bishop Loughlin, the 6’6” wing player averaged 14.7 points, 1.6 assists and 8.3 rebounds per game over 27 contests in his junior season. He increased his average output to 17.2 points per game as a senior, and during the 2018-19 season, he put up 20-plus points on 13 occasions. He describes himself as a “bigger guard” and told Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog that he and his brother would definitely attend the same school in March.
However, Champagnie said that before his brother committed to Pitt independently, and he has since received an offer from St. John’s, adding a degree of uncertainty to the situation. St. John’s is Champagnie’s hometown school, and it is located just 12 miles from Bishop Loughlin. It is also under new leadership, as Chris Mullin resigned as the Red Storm’s head coach and was replaced by Mike Anderson.
Champagnie did not specify when he would announce his decision on Wednesday. A majority of recruiting analysts at Rivals and 247Sports still consider Pitt the favorite to secure Champagnie's commitment.