2021 Michigan Basketball Recruiting Picture: 2.0
Michigan's 2021 class is now two members deep after the recent commitment of Stewartville (Minn.) High three-star power forward Will Tschetter, and the June 24 commitment of Oak Park (Ill.) River Forest four-star small forward Isaiah Barnes.
Now, Juwan Howard and his staff can keep working on a few five-star prospects as well as a few four-star prospects to fill out what will likely be at least a five-man class. Here are the offered prospects who are still giving Michigan a pretty serious look.
Jaden Akins • Farmington (Mich.) High • PG
Akins' recruitment is now quite interesting. He was viewed as a Michigan State lean, but the Spartans just landed five-star point guard Max Christie earlier today. Do they need to take a four-star point guard who is considered the No. 71 player in the country in Akins as well? Probably not. Michigan has always been in the mix, and with Sparty likely out, it's going to be very interesting to see where he ends up.
Quincy Allen • Washington D.C. Maret School • SF
Michigan appears to be in great shape with the four-star wing. At 6-7, 190 pounds, he's similar to U-M commit Isaiah Barnes, but he's very talented and high on the Wolverines. Like Brizzi, he really wants to visit Ann Arbor once he's able to. Most believe Michigan has a pretty good shot to land Allen as he also considers schools like Florida, Miami, NC State, Villanova and Virginia.
Angelo Brizzi • Monterey (Va.) Highland • PG
Since being offered by the Wolverines, Brizzi has had good things to say about Michigan. The 6-3, 170-pounder has risen up the ranks and is now considered the No. 117 overall prospect nationally in the 247 Sports Composite. Visiting Ann Arbor is going to be important to him and once that happens he'll really be able to figure out where he wants to go. Schools like Arizona, Georgetown, LSU, Marquette, Villanova, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are also involved.
Kobe Bufkin • Grand Rapids (Mich.) Grand Rapids Christian • SG
Bufkin, a 6-4, 175-pounder, is obviously a homegrown product for the Wolverines and he's just days away from a decision. He just dropped a top five consisting of DePaul, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and LSU, and will make his decision this Friday. Many people feel that U-M may now be at the top his list, but he's done a pretty good job keeping things close to the vest. Bufkin is a four-star prospect and is considered the No. 78 overall player in the nation.
Matthew Cleveland • Alpharetta (Ga.) Pace Academy • SG
Cleveland has offers from more than 25 schools but is down to Florida State, Kansas, Michigan, NC State and Stanford. He is really high on Michigan but claims to be considering everyone among his top group evenly right now. He's in constant contact with Juwan Howard and the Michigan staff and is really looking forward to a visit to Ann Arbor once he's able to make the trip.
Jaden Hardy • Henderson (Nev.) Coronado • CG
Hardy is one of the best players in the country as the No. 6 prospect overall. The 6-4, 190-pounder is originally from Michigan but is obviously far from The Great Lakes State now out in Nevada. He mentioned wanting to take an official visit to U-M, which would seemingly put the Wolverines in his top five. Most view Kentucky as the team to beat with Hardy, but Howard and the Wolverines are going to get a shot.
Chet Holmgren • Minneapolis Minnehaha Academy • C
At 7-0, 190 pounds, Holmgren is rail thin but he has guard skills and can really shoot it from the outside. Add all of that up and you have the No. 3 player in the country per the 247 Sports Composite. Michigan hasn't been involved for very long but the versatile big man recently included the Wolverines in his top seven along with Minnesota, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Georgetown, Memphis and North Carolina. Michigan seems like a long shot right now but getting involved with him late and making his top group is noteworthy for the time being.
Harrison Ingram • Dallas St. Mark's • SF
The five-star forward has a top group consisting of Arkansas, Baylor, Louisville, Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee and Texas A&M, with the Cardinal potentially out in front. The 6-6, 210-pounder and his family are big on academics so it could be tough for everyone else to compete with Stanford.
Trevor Keels • Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Catholic • SG
Keels is a five-star prospect and is considered the No. 16 player in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite. The 6-5, 210-pounder has a much more stout and sturdy build than several of the long, lanky types on this list, but he still has the quickness and versatility that has him ranked so highly. Schools like Duke, Georgetown, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, Villanova and Virginia are all heavily involved with Keels and he seems very open to playing for any one of the schools mentioned.
Efton Reid • Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy • C
Michigan is definitely involved with Reid but to what extent is a little bit of a mystery.The five star has been in contact with the Wolverines and Juwan Howard, but hasn't said much about how much he likes U-M or other schools. Reid has already taken official visits to Ohio State, Virginia, and Louisville, and has unofficially visited NC State, North Carolina, Georgetown, and Maryland. Throw Michigan into that top group in you have a very loaded set of unofficial favorites for the 6-11, 225-pounder.
Jalen Warley • Norristown (Pa.) Westtown School • CG
Warley, a 6-4, 175-pound combo guard, is a five-star prospect considered the No. 23 prospect in the country by the 247 Sports Composite. He recently cut his list to a top ten consisting of Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Maryland, Virginia, Oregon, LSU, Florida State, Michigan and Ohio State. Most people feel it's between the Ducks and Wolverines for his services, with neither school really having a noticeable edge.
Peyton Watson • Long Beach (Calif.) Long Beach Poly • SF
At 6-7, 180 pounds, Watson is long and lanky and really versatile. As things stand right now, he doesn't have a top group but certain schools like Arizona, Washington, Michigan, Oregon, San Diego State, Gonzaga, Kentucky and UCLA all seem to be getting and getting more love. Most expect him to stay closer to home, and you can see that only Michigan and Kentucky are out of his region from the above list, making the Wolverines feel like a long shot here.
Brandon Weston • Chicago Morgan Park • SF
At 6-5, 175 pounds, Weston is another lanky wing player, comparable to U-M pledge Isaiah Barnes and major target Quincy Allen, but he's still giving the Wolverines a look. Weston doesn't say much in terms of who he really likes, but schools like Arizona State, Illinois, Nebraska, Pitt, Seton Hall, St. John's and Wake Forest have also extended an offer to the Chicago native.
