Portal! NEEDS The portal is a different game than recruiting high schoolers and for a team like Michigan they're generally looking for a few key plug and play pieces, especially since they've historically struggled to get undergrad transfers in. There does seem to be some movement on that front given a number of confirmed undergrad transfer offers, but we'll see how that actually plays out. Michigan does not seem to need anyone at QB, WR, DT, LB, or S at the moment. With the addition of OL LaDarius Henderson I would imagine that Michigan is pretty set there as well if they are able to keep the guards out of the NFL draft with NIL money. That leaves the following spots as ones of interest, ranked in approximate order of need: Cornerback. If DJ Turner and Gemon Green both go to the draft Michigan will be looking for a CB very hard. They will return Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil but they have nobody else who's seen a snap and no seemingly sure thing amongst the othe
The early signing period is roughly six weeks away and we're going down the home-stretch of a few recruitments while gaining steam with newer targets on the board. The uncertainty of stay/go decisions on the horizon after the 2022-23 season in tandem with the portal means the net is a bit smaller in relation to the past for HS recruiting. Let's take a look at where we stand. GUARDS Isaiah Collier Height/Weight: Listed height in the 6'2 - 6'4 range, with listed weight ranging between 170 - 205. Eye test says he's probably a legit 6'2 and 190-195. High School/AAU: Marietta Wheeler HS (GA)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA) Mainstream Ranking: Now a consensus top-6 overall prospect EM Ranking/Projected Impact: 5-star/#8 overall. Expected projection/production of a true 5-star prospect, even if it isn't necessarily what is expected of a consensus top-10 prospect as a freshman. Think consistent rotation player that plays 15-20 minutes per game at min
The early signing period in November is less than two months away and we're coming down the home-stretch of several key recruitments. The uncertainty of stay/go decisions on the horizon after the 2022-23 season in tandem with the portal means the net is a bit smaller in relation to the past for HS recruiting. Let's see where we stand. GUARDS Isaiah Collier Height/Weight: Listed height in the 6'2 - 6'4 range, with listed weight ranging between 170 - 205. Eye test says he's probably a legit 6'2 and 190-195. High School/AAU: Marietta Wheeler HS (GA)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA) Mainstream Ranking: Now a consensus top-6 overall prospect EM Ranking/Projected Impact: 5-star/#8 overall. Expected projection/production of a true 5-star prospect, even if it isn't necessarily what is expected of a consensus top-10 prospect as a freshman. Think consistent rotation player that plays 15-20 minutes per game at minimum, with the potential to be a starter
While your author generally prefers providing recruiting updates/evaluations through positional designations, the 2023 pool for the staff is relatively small at this point, so let's take a big picture look at where things stand with practices scheduled to start later this month. GUARDS Isaiah Collier Height/Weight: Listed height in the 6'2 - 6'4 range, with listed weight ranging between 170 - 205. Eye test says he's probably a legit 6'2 and 190-195. High School/AAU: Marietta Wheeler HS (GA)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA) Mainstream Ranking: Now a consensus top-6 overall prospect EM Ranking/Projected Impact: 5-star/#8 overall. Expected projection/production of a true 5-star prospect, even if it isn't necessarily what is expected of a consensus top-10 prospect as a freshman. Think consistent rotation player that plays 15-20 minutes per game at minimum, with the potential to be a starter by the time February/March comes around. Has positional size/f
Scranton, Pennsylvania was my destination over the weekend at the KYDA Invitational. The field was absolutely loaded, with several shoe-sponsored clubs taking the court featuring several Michigan offers/targets.
In the second of three updates this week, we'll touch on the bigs today. Wings can be found here.
Time to Recalibrate The Pecking Order? /
Dereck Lively was absolutely dominant over the weekend for Team Final while playing against elite competition in NY Rens (Nike EYBL) and Team Thrill (Under Armour). The lengthy 7-footer was an absolute terror as a vertical lob-threat that finished with authority and protected the rim at a very high level. Those traits alone put him in elite territory, but the flashes I witnessed in other areas compelled me to bump him to 5-star status in my database.
Let's start with his perimeter defense. Dereck's agility was definitely eye-popping stuff given his size. He gets low in his stance in a way that few college bigs