The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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48 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2020 BY CHRIS BALAS W ith three 2021 prospects in the fold and several offers out- standing, Michigan head coach Ju- wan Howard is closing in on another highly ranked recruiting class. The Wolverines already have pledges from 6-6, 180-pound shoot- ing guard Isaiah Barnes of Chicago Simeon (Rivals.com's No. 109 rising senior nationally); 6-8, 225-pound power forward Will Tschetter of Stewartville (Minn.) High (No. 140); and 6-4, 175-pound shooting guard Kobe Bufkin of Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian (No. 61), and the coaches are now looking for a point guard, a forward/center and possibly another wing, with room for three more. Here is where things stand with the top remaining targets on the re- cruiting board: JALEN WARLEY PG • 6-5, 180 Norristown (Pa.) Westtown School Rivals.com's No. 21 rising senior nationally Michigan was second to Virginia and ahead of Oregon, Miami and Memphis as of July 25, Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Corey Ev- ans reported. "The ace up the sleeve is assis- tant coach Phil Martelli, the former St. Joe's head coach that tutored Warley's father and uncle during their own playing days on Hawk Hill," Evans noted of U-M's chances. "Could Martelli keep the bloodlines intact to an extent and pull Warley out of his old stomping grounds and bring him to Ann Arbor? "There is a chance, which is why Michigan is Virginia's greatest com- petitor for Warley at the moment." CHARLES BEDIAKO C • 6-10, 220 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Rivals.com's No. 22 rising senior nationally Michigan is in his top five and has a decent shot with the gifted big man. He'll spend his last year at Braden- ton (Fla.) IMG Academy after play- ing last season at Andrews Osborne Academy in Ohio. Rivals.com national recruiting ana- lyst Eric Bossi put U-M third in the running as of July 25, ahead of No. 4. Baylor and No. 5 Texas, but behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Duke. "The Wolverines are another pro- gram that many recruiting Bediako believe to be in good shape," Bossi wrote. "He's going to need to be sold on the idea of playing alongside a true center like [U-M freshman] Hunter Dickinson, but the chance to expand his game and play more facing the basket could be appeal- ing. The real sell here is Juwan How- ard and his years of success in the NBA playing the same position as Bediako." EFTON REID C • 6-11, 215 Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy Rivals.com's No. 24 rising senior nationally Nobody really knows what's go- ing on with Reid. He has wavered between the class of 2020 and 2021, but recently decided to take a prep year … or did he? "Keep an eye on [Reid]," Evans re- ported. "He recently decided to take a prep year in the fall, but there is a chance that he could attend college." Virginia is thought to be the leader here, and it might create a logjam if Reid joined Dickinson in the 2020 class. It is an option, however. HARRISON INGRAM SF • 6-7, 205 Dallas St. Mark's Rivals.com's No. 8 rising senior nationally Ingram took to Instagram to dis- pute that he had any sort of list, but Rivals.com put U-M behind Stan- ford, Purdue and North Carolina as of July 13. Some believe he'll land at Duke (No. 5 on the list), if the Blue Devils offer. "No one has picked up more ground in Ingram's recruitment this spring and summer than Michigan," Evans noted. "The Wolverines had not even begun to talk to him until after the quarantine began, but once the offer was handed out, Juwan Howard made it evident that he was a must-get. "Howard has practically talked or texted with Ingram every day since Michigan offered, and while the Wolverines already sit with three commitments — two coming in the backcourt variety— they are in need of a home run pickup via a ball han- dler that can create mismatches in the half-court setting. That seems to be exactly what Ingram is and, if things play out longer, Michigan could as- cend into the top spot." WILL JETT HOWARD BE THE FIRST TO PLEDGE FROM 2022? Michigan head coach Juwan How- ard has made progress with many class of 2021 and '22 recruits, but it's fair to say he's bonded with one more than any other. His son, 6-7, 180-pound shooting guard Jett Howard (Rivals.com's No. 64 overall player nationally), is one of the top recruits in the 2022 class and U-M is the favorite to land him. In addition to his father, Jett's brother Jace is also at Michigan, an incoming freshman. His mom will be moving to Ann Arbor at the end of the month (though the family is keeping their house in Florida, too). Jett, however, will be playing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and the player former University School coach (and former Wolverine) BASKETBALL RECRUITING Three Down, Three To Go Michigan is making a strong push to land five-star Harrison Ingram, a 6-7, 205-pound small forward from Dallas St. Mark's who is listed as the nation's No. 8 overall player by Rivals.com. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM