Ricky Liburd Tells Michigan Fans How He Will 'Impact Games' Next Season in Larger Role

After winning the national championship, Michigan is going to have a new look when it takes the court for the 2026-27 season. With Morez Johnson Jr. likely staying in the NBA Draft, Michigan will have lost all of its front court from this past season and Dusty May signed three bigs from the portal.

Michigan has one of the top incoming freshmen classes for next season, and while most of the starting spots feel solidified for next season, there is one glaring spot: at the wing.

Yaxel Lendeborg's shoes are going to be impossible to fill and barring another addition to the roster, May will have to choose from incoming five-star Brandon McCoy, Oscar Goodman, or Ricky Liburd to start at the wing.

All three players are going to play pivotal roles next season with the losses of Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle, and one player the coaching staff loves is rising redshirt freshman, Liburd.

The 6'4" wing plans on making an impact on the court next season, but fans don't know much about him. He was a late addition in the 2025 recruiting cycle, and he wasn't a big-time recruit. Coming to Michigan from the state of Florida, he was a three-star prospect; however, Michigan believes it found a hidden gem.

Appearing on Go Blue Hoops with Tim McCormick, presented by Hail Media, Liburd gave fans a scouting report on his game.

"I feel like I'm just like an athletic wing, like a three-and-D, I could shoot," Liburd said. "I can play defense, but I feel like my niche is like my defense and I do the intangibles. Like, I make the energy plays or if we need to stop, I'll go get that stop.

"If we need to rebound, I'll go get that rebound, you know, take a charge and maybe even setting a good screen just to get somebody else open. Like, I'm just all part of like impacting the game as like, as much as I can."

How he came to Ann Arbor

As mentioned before, Liburd's journey to Michigan was late in the process. He committed to Michigan back on May 16 during May's first recruiting class, and he was originally committed to Coastal Carolina.

Liburd explained that the coach at Coastal Carolina was either fired or left, and there was no communication between the coaching staff and Liburd — so he left. Michigan assistant Kyle Church saw Liburd in action and liked his game, and offered him a chance to play for the Wolverines.

He knew coming into the program that he was going to take the season and develop, giving himself a redshirt year.

"My situation was different because I was recruited to like redshirt and taking the year to develop was like the best developmental program I feel like in the country," Liburd said. "So I came in having a plan on like working every day, being on the scout team in practice, you know, giving our guys a good look and while also like working on my game and I'm trying to expand what I could do."

Now that the redshirt season is over, Liburd — and the coaching staff — believe he is going to do big things wearing the maize and blue next season.

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