Part III of our INSIDE THE FORT, this time focusing on Michigan basketball and recruiting at the beginning of a big month for the program. The Wolverines are hosting recruits on campus for visits for the first time in over a year, and they're lining up.
Grand Blanc (Mich.) forward Ty Rodgers is in today and tomorrow, and he's extremely high on Michigan. As most know by now, he's a high energy athlete but not a great shooter. He's working on that aspect of his game, but he's definitely a work in progress. Michigan State had not recruited him as heavily — he's related to former MSU great Jason Richardson — and that's raised some eyebrows, but UConn, Purdue and others have prioritized him and he's planning visits to both.
The Spartans have really gotten involved lately, but some close to him don't believe he'd be a good fit in East Lansing. He will take an unofficial visit there.
At one point, this appeared to be a Michigan vs. Syracuse battle. We believe U-M is firmly in the driver's seat here. It's possible Rodgers could even be the first 2022 pledge this week (though again, Jett Howard might as well be considered a commitment). He hasn't put up huge numbers — at a recent Spiece Event, for example, he put up 6, 7 and 13 points in three games — but as Purdue Rivals' Brian Neubert wrote, he just plays so hard.
"At no point during his first three games at the Run 'N Slam did Rodgers stop pursuing the ball, whether It was coming off the glass, in an offensive player's hands or just loose," Neubert wrote.
"They like how versatile I am and they like how hard I play," Rodgers said of Purdue. "[Matt Painter] just thinks I'd fit in great in their program, playing in open space and getting up and down."
Jaden Bradley, Rivals.com's No. 18 player nationally and the No. 3 point guard in this class, had hoped to reclassify potentially and play this fall. If that were to happen, he wouldn't be at U-M ... and we don't think he will be, regardless.
As you'll recall, at one point we thought the Wolverines were the leader here. He had a great relationship with Juwan Howard, as did his father, and Michigan was offering him the "keys to the car." Frankie Collins' commitment apparently made them a bit wary, and this one has taken some strange turns.
The Wolverines are thought to be in his top three, and he is visiting at the end of the week. The IMG Academy standout still likes Kentucky, though (is he still a priority?) ... but Florida State, and now Alabama and North Carolina are heavily involved. We know there's been some renewed optimism, but we don't share it. Maybe a good visit will change that — Juwan Howard is one of the best 'closers' out there.
Donovan Clingan, seven-footer out of Bristol (Conn.) — we like Michigan's chances here. He'll visit next week, and some close to him have been "starstruck" by Howard and Co. They've insisted they are still open, despite reports that UConn and Michigan might lead, and Syracuse, Ohio State and others will get visits. There are probably three to four true contenders here, but Michigan has been a constant.
Wisconsin guard Seth Trimble moved up 75 spots to No. 34 in the Rivals rankings. North Carolina is pushing, and that's the one to watch. He'll visit Michigan next week and UNC, as well — we believe those are the two to watch closest. He's become a priority, and he can't wait to visit, having listed Michigan as the team he really wanted an offer from over the last year.
A.J. Casey (6-8) has great athleticism, but he's visiting Ohio State and others, and there are some still not sold on the Chicago native even though he's a top 25 kid.
"It almost seems there are other guys higher on the pecking order was the vibe I got," one well-connected analyst said.
Justice Williams out of IMG — he's now No. 34, and he's also down the list a bit. He's more combo than point guard, and U-M has elite options at the point and will be landing Jett Howard.
“As of right now I only have one visit played, and that is to Purdue on June 22-24. I am trying to see the schools I haven’t been able to go to yet and that my parents want to see ... UConn, Ole Miss, Michigan, Miami, schools like that. I am going to wait through the July live period and try to save some visits for after, keep my options open.”
Power forward Eric Dailey Jr. of IMG (6-7, No. 23) rarely plays outside of high school. Some have told us his father, who is heavily (heavily heavily) involved in his recruitment doesn't want him to, and that some schools have backed off because they are worried about his influence. Fair or not, one analyst even told us it was "Marinovich-level" in reference to former USC quarterback Todd many years ago.
Top 10 power forward Jarace Walker's reputation is 'not great,' one analyst said.
"He was almost kicked out of USA basketball ... he was even brought off the bench at IMG for a time," he said. "He likes North Carolina, but teams are going to have to look under the hood here and see if he's [growing up]."
Regardless, U-M is watching him.
****
More recruiting ...
***
Class of 2022 Montverde (Fla.) Academy five-star big man Jalen Duren made the jump from No. 2 to No. 1 in Rivals.com’s latest rankings update, passing former Michigan State commit Emoni Bates. Duren has shown more over the past several months, while Bates has struggled at times.
As we’ve said numerous times, both are expected to play professionally right away, with the G-League being a top option. But Michigan is in the mix here, with Duren having played with 2021 U-M signee Caleb Houstan this past season — the two have had conversations about U-M, and he loves Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, as well.
We spoke with Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy, who believes there’s still a lot of time before the 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is 100 percent gone to the pros, opening the door for a college to win him over in the meantime.
“I think it probably is the G-League … BUT you never really know — it’s still early,” Cassidy said. “It’s possible. I think if all things stay the same and he projects at that level, he’s always kind of wanted to go that route.
“When I talked to him recently, I kind of let him lead the conversation. I let him bring up the schools he wanted to bring up, I didn’t ask him about specific schools. And the colleges he brought up were Miami, Michigan and Kentucky.
“That’s a good sign for Michigan, that they were top of mind. He talked about Juwan a little bit, unprompted. That’s the appeal there.
“Miami might be tough to beat, since they just hired one of his AAU coaches [D.J. Irving].
“None of those three schools are going anywhere. If I was betting — if I was spreading a roulette table out and I was betting on three schools that would be in the final five — I’d take my chances on those three.”
We'd add UCLA to that mix, as well.
****
Finally, on the basketball front, nothing has changed on Hunter Dickinson from what we reported over the weekend. If he works himself into the first round, he could leave. Very few see that happening, but given his age (he's already 21), we'd expect next year to be his last in a Michigan uniform.
Grand Blanc (Mich.) forward Ty Rodgers is in today and tomorrow, and he's extremely high on Michigan. As most know by now, he's a high energy athlete but not a great shooter. He's working on that aspect of his game, but he's definitely a work in progress. Michigan State had not recruited him as heavily — he's related to former MSU great Jason Richardson — and that's raised some eyebrows, but UConn, Purdue and others have prioritized him and he's planning visits to both.
The Spartans have really gotten involved lately, but some close to him don't believe he'd be a good fit in East Lansing. He will take an unofficial visit there.
At one point, this appeared to be a Michigan vs. Syracuse battle. We believe U-M is firmly in the driver's seat here. It's possible Rodgers could even be the first 2022 pledge this week (though again, Jett Howard might as well be considered a commitment). He hasn't put up huge numbers — at a recent Spiece Event, for example, he put up 6, 7 and 13 points in three games — but as Purdue Rivals' Brian Neubert wrote, he just plays so hard.
"At no point during his first three games at the Run 'N Slam did Rodgers stop pursuing the ball, whether It was coming off the glass, in an offensive player's hands or just loose," Neubert wrote.
"They like how versatile I am and they like how hard I play," Rodgers said of Purdue. "[Matt Painter] just thinks I'd fit in great in their program, playing in open space and getting up and down."
Jaden Bradley, Rivals.com's No. 18 player nationally and the No. 3 point guard in this class, had hoped to reclassify potentially and play this fall. If that were to happen, he wouldn't be at U-M ... and we don't think he will be, regardless.
As you'll recall, at one point we thought the Wolverines were the leader here. He had a great relationship with Juwan Howard, as did his father, and Michigan was offering him the "keys to the car." Frankie Collins' commitment apparently made them a bit wary, and this one has taken some strange turns.
The Wolverines are thought to be in his top three, and he is visiting at the end of the week. The IMG Academy standout still likes Kentucky, though (is he still a priority?) ... but Florida State, and now Alabama and North Carolina are heavily involved. We know there's been some renewed optimism, but we don't share it. Maybe a good visit will change that — Juwan Howard is one of the best 'closers' out there.
Donovan Clingan, seven-footer out of Bristol (Conn.) — we like Michigan's chances here. He'll visit next week, and some close to him have been "starstruck" by Howard and Co. They've insisted they are still open, despite reports that UConn and Michigan might lead, and Syracuse, Ohio State and others will get visits. There are probably three to four true contenders here, but Michigan has been a constant.
Wisconsin guard Seth Trimble moved up 75 spots to No. 34 in the Rivals rankings. North Carolina is pushing, and that's the one to watch. He'll visit Michigan next week and UNC, as well — we believe those are the two to watch closest. He's become a priority, and he can't wait to visit, having listed Michigan as the team he really wanted an offer from over the last year.
A.J. Casey (6-8) has great athleticism, but he's visiting Ohio State and others, and there are some still not sold on the Chicago native even though he's a top 25 kid.
"It almost seems there are other guys higher on the pecking order was the vibe I got," one well-connected analyst said.
Justice Williams out of IMG — he's now No. 34, and he's also down the list a bit. He's more combo than point guard, and U-M has elite options at the point and will be landing Jett Howard.
“As of right now I only have one visit played, and that is to Purdue on June 22-24. I am trying to see the schools I haven’t been able to go to yet and that my parents want to see ... UConn, Ole Miss, Michigan, Miami, schools like that. I am going to wait through the July live period and try to save some visits for after, keep my options open.”
Power forward Eric Dailey Jr. of IMG (6-7, No. 23) rarely plays outside of high school. Some have told us his father, who is heavily (heavily heavily) involved in his recruitment doesn't want him to, and that some schools have backed off because they are worried about his influence. Fair or not, one analyst even told us it was "Marinovich-level" in reference to former USC quarterback Todd many years ago.
Top 10 power forward Jarace Walker's reputation is 'not great,' one analyst said.
"He was almost kicked out of USA basketball ... he was even brought off the bench at IMG for a time," he said. "He likes North Carolina, but teams are going to have to look under the hood here and see if he's [growing up]."
Regardless, U-M is watching him.
****
More recruiting ...
***
Class of 2022 Montverde (Fla.) Academy five-star big man Jalen Duren made the jump from No. 2 to No. 1 in Rivals.com’s latest rankings update, passing former Michigan State commit Emoni Bates. Duren has shown more over the past several months, while Bates has struggled at times.
As we’ve said numerous times, both are expected to play professionally right away, with the G-League being a top option. But Michigan is in the mix here, with Duren having played with 2021 U-M signee Caleb Houstan this past season — the two have had conversations about U-M, and he loves Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, as well.
We spoke with Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Director Rob Cassidy, who believes there’s still a lot of time before the 6-foot-10, 230-pounder is 100 percent gone to the pros, opening the door for a college to win him over in the meantime.
“I think it probably is the G-League … BUT you never really know — it’s still early,” Cassidy said. “It’s possible. I think if all things stay the same and he projects at that level, he’s always kind of wanted to go that route.
“When I talked to him recently, I kind of let him lead the conversation. I let him bring up the schools he wanted to bring up, I didn’t ask him about specific schools. And the colleges he brought up were Miami, Michigan and Kentucky.
“That’s a good sign for Michigan, that they were top of mind. He talked about Juwan a little bit, unprompted. That’s the appeal there.
“Miami might be tough to beat, since they just hired one of his AAU coaches [D.J. Irving].
“None of those three schools are going anywhere. If I was betting — if I was spreading a roulette table out and I was betting on three schools that would be in the final five — I’d take my chances on those three.”
We'd add UCLA to that mix, as well.
****
Finally, on the basketball front, nothing has changed on Hunter Dickinson from what we reported over the weekend. If he works himself into the first round, he could leave. Very few see that happening, but given his age (he's already 21), we'd expect next year to be his last in a Michigan uniform.
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