The Wolverine

November 2017*

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 75 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan head coach John Beilein's busy summer and fall on the re- cruiting trail included four pledges and a decommitment — not in that or- der — and left U-M with the nation's No. 7 class in the country as of Oct. 17. He and his staff accomplished it despite losing two assistant coaches — Billy Donlon to Northwestern and Jeff Meyer to Butler — and beat na- tional programs for the quintet that includes a player at every position. East Lansing (Mich.) High standout Brandon Johns (6-8, 205, Rivals.com's No. 65 player nationally) pledged to the Wolverines over MSU June 29, a major coup, and class of 2019 big man Taylor Currie (6-9, 205, three-star prospect) of Clarkston (Mich.) High reclassified to 2018 after also commit- ting in June. Canadian Ignas Brazdeikis (6-8, 200, four-star recruit) of Mono (On- tario) Orangeville Prep, a top-40 tal- ent if he played in the United States according to Rivals.com, shoot- ing guard Adrien Nunez (6-5, 195, three-star recruit) of Brooklyn (N.Y.) St. Thomas More and center Colin Castleton (6-11, 220, Rivals.com's No. 120 prospect in the country) of Daytona Beach (Fla.) Father Lopez all then committed within three weeks of each other to cap an outstanding group — which also includes Detroit East English Village point guard Da- vid DeJulius (6-1, 190, Rivals.com's No. 125 senior nationally) — even af- ter Currie decommitted in September. "After careful consideration and discussing it with my family, I have decided to decommit from the Uni- versity of Michigan and re-open my recruitment for both the classes of 2018 and 2019," he announced via Twitter. "In June, I committed to the University of Michigan because I grew up with a love for the school. However, since my commitment, I have learned more about the recruiting process and what factors should play into a decision. "I want to thank Coach Beilein for giving me the opportunity to play at Michigan and for the support throughout this process." He said later "there's still a chance for sure" that he'd end up at U-M, though there doesn't appear to have been any movement in his recruit- ment since his decommitment. Even without Currie, U-M's team recruit- ing ranking skyrocketed into the top 10 in the country. "Michigan has hit it right on the nose with its 2018 class," Rivals.com national analyst Corey Evans said. "They did a solid job in wrapping up tough-nosed point guard David DeJu- lius early on before nabbing four-star combo forward Johns, a multi-dimen- sional prospect, earlier this summer. "From there, adding Brazdeikis, one of the top scoring forwards in the 2018 class, was huge. He should cause major matchup issues in the Big Ten and beyond. Finishing the class off is super high upside Rivals150 center Colin Castleton, the perfect long-term replacement for Moritz Wagner, and adding elite shooter Adrien Nunez, all of which strengthen the class." Together, he said, the five-man group should finish as a top-10 class nationally and one of the best, if not the best, in Beilein's coaching career. The Wolverines' class was the third best in the Big Ten as of mid-October, trailing Michigan State (No. 1 in the na- tion) and Maryland (No. 6). Rivals uses a mathematical formula to calculate its recruiting classes, and had U-M's class with 1,970 points. The Terrapins, one spot ahead, had 2,055 points. A look at the scholarship chart shows Beilein and his staff had to over-sign by one to grab their haul. 2018-19 1: Moritz Wagner, 6-11 Sr. PF 2: Charles Matthews, 6-6 Jr.* SF 3: Jon Teske, 7-1 Jr. C 4: Ibi Watson, 6-5 Jr. SG 5: Zavier Simpson, 6-0 Jr. PG 6: Austin Davis, 6-10 So.* PF 7: Jordan Poole, 6-4 So. SG 8: Eli Brooks, 6-0 So. PG/SG 9: Isaiah Livers, 6-7 So. PF 10: David DeJulius, 6-1 Fr. PG 11: Brandon Johns, 6-8 Fr. PF 12: Ignas Brazdeikis, 6-8 Fr. PF 13: Adrien Nunez, 6-5 Fr. SG 14: Colin Castleton, 6-11 Fr. C # 2019-20 1: Charles Matthews, 6-6 Sr.* SF 2: Jon Teske, 7-1 Sr. C 3: Ibi Watson, 6-5 Sr. SG 4: Zavier Simpson, 6-0 Sr. PG 5: Austin Davis, 6-10 Jr.* PF 6: Jordan Poole, 6-4 Jr. SG 7: Eli Brooks, 6-0 Jr. PG/SG 8: Isaiah Livers, 6-7 Jr. PF 9: David DeJulius, 6-1 So. PG 10: Brandon Johns, 6-8 So. PF 11: Ignas Brazdeikis, 6-8 Fr. PF 12: Adrien Nunez, 6-5 Fr. SG 13. Colin Castleton, 6-11 So. C * Redshirt # Over-sign Most likely, junior center Wagner will opt for the NBA at the end of this season. Some already consider him a first-round lock in next year's draft, and if he continues to improve he will be gone. Some also believe redshirt sopho- more Matthews has the potential to blow up and leave early. In addition, there's almost always attrition from those who aren't playing as much as they expected to. East Lansing (Mich.) High standout Brandon Johns (No. 65) is one of three U-M commits ranked among the nation's top 125 players, forming the core of a five-man class that Rivals.com rated No. 6 in the country as of mid-October. PHOTO COURTESY GOLDANDBLACK.COM   BASKETBALL RECRUITING Michigan's Five-Man 2018 Class Is One Of John Beilein's Best

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