Will 5-star recruit Mikey Williams play college basketball next fall? 'That's the plan ...'

Mikey Williams playing college basketball?

As the five-star 2023 recruit and social media phenom concludes his junior season at Charlotte’s Vertical Academy, it’s looking like more and more of a possibility – despite some lucrative professional options.

The latest hint came on Sunday, when national high school basketball insider Samad Hines reported that Williams, 17, would remain at Vertical Academy, an independent start-up, for his 2022-23 senior season.

Williams and his father also confirmed that timeline – as well as his current plan to play one season of college basketball in 2023-24 then enter the 2024 NBA Draft – in separate interviews earlier this year.

“He’s definitely going to college,” Mahlon Williams, Mikey’s father, told the Charlotte Observer in February. “Me and him had a really long discussion about that a couple of days ago. Every six months or so, we kind of gauge where we’re at, and he wants to be a part of the college environment.”

Asked about playing in college, Williams added: “That’s the plan right now. It’s a route (to the NBA) I wouldn’t say is guaranteed, but I have a great chance that it will lead to the next level after that.”

Big earner:Report: Top N.C. basketball recruit Mikey Williams could make $2.6 million off NIL deals

From November:Who's next up in N.C. high school basketball? Five-star recruit Mikey Williams leads the way

Why does Williams staying put at Vertical Academy matter? It essentially clears the way for his college eligibility: something Williams wouldn’t have if he joined, say, the Overtime Elite league, which offers high school recruits minimum salaries of $100,000 to join its European-style basketball academy set-up.

As detailed in March by Sports Illustrated, high school players who join Overtime Elite forfeit their college eligibility in full under current NCAA rules because the program pays them for their work product as opposed to exclusively their name, image and likeness (which the NCAA started allowing last year).

Future NIL developments might render that a moot point, SI reported, but the distinction remains relevant for 2023 recruits such as Williams, who, per his father, was approached by Overtime Elite.

Remaining at Vertical Academy puts Williams on the following timeline: play his final high school season in 2022-23, play one season of college basketball in 2023-24 and enter his name in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Plans are fluid, and that middle step could always change. But Williams and his father have reiterated his interest in playing a season of college basketball – as opposed to a paid year overseas or with the NBA-backed G League Ignite or Overtime Elite’s postgraduate team or another option – for over a year now.

More on recruiting:Why 5-star NC basketball recruit, national phenom Mikey Williams is re-opening recruitment

Read more:5-star NC basketball recruit, phenom Mikey Williams 'leaning toward' HBCU, father says

As for where? That’s still to be determined. Williams released an initial top 10 list after his freshman season that included Arizona State, Kansas, Memphis, San Diego State, Southern Cal and five HBCUs: Alabama State, Durham-based North Carolina Central, Hampton, Tennessee State and Texas Southern.

But he reopened his recruitment in full last summer to get a better picture of his options and is yet to release any new finalists. Williams did take an unofficial visit to Southern Cal in February (he came up in California and played his freshman year in San Diego) and has picked up some N.C. Central buzz on On3.

“He has a couple of HBCUs on his list and so that’s always going to be a possibility for him,” Mahlon Williams told the Observer of his son. “He also has some mid-majors and some high majors.”

Williams ranks as the No. 1 junior in North Carolina, No. 3 combo guard in his class and No. 15 overall recruit in his class, per 247Sports composite ratings. He averaged 23 points, six assists and 4.5 rebounds per game as a junior for Vertical Academy, which played in showcase tournaments across the country.

Williams is also a social media star with 5.9 million combined followers across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Last year, he became the first high school athlete to sign an NIL deal with a major sports marketing agency, Excel Sports Management, and a global footwear brand, PUMA. Williams has an NIL valuation of $2.6 million, second among all high school and college athletes, per the new On3 NIL 100.

Chapel Fowler is a recruiting reporter for The Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at cfowler@gannett.com or on Twitter at @chapelfowler.