Predicting a recruitment class based on a commitment and so many variables that are still on the board while a global pandemic continues may be an exercise in futility. Now that the Michigan Wolverines added part of the puzzle with the four-star striker Isaiah Barnes’ engagement in 2021, it helps us at least grasp the other needs and review where things are.
It should be reiterated that recruitment is still fairly open and the schedule depends on whether children can visit campus or not. The NCAA now prohibits personal recruitment until August. For this reason, it can take some time before the class is filled.
Things are here now. The criterion here is what feels like a realistic scenario when Michigan seems to be standing with the current goals.
Dedicated: four-star striker Isaiah Barnes
Barnes – number 85 of 247Sports in the country – chose Michigan last week. Here’s what we had to say about him in our article:
Its development has always been about the physical tools that will continue to be the case in the future. This is a long and athletic wing perspective that seems best suited to play the two or three, and has proven to be a solid defender in several places on the ground.
There aren’t many videos about him, especially when the sporting seasons come to a standstill due to the pandemic, but Barnes can best be described as inconsistent or offensive at this stage of the game. Many of the reports and films about him show him as a kind of catch-and-shoot perspective, even though he put the ball a bit more on the floor and created himself in his junior season. His improvement here could be the difference whether he’s a three-and-a-man from the bank or someone who comes in and makes an important contribution to coaching. MGoBlog compared the comparison to him as a less explosive Charles Matthews, and that feels like an appropriate parallel, considering what he’s been up to.
Best Guess predictions for class 2021
Five-star striker Harrison Ingram
Ingram would be a great opportunity for this cycle and offers a nice comparison of skills to what a player like Barnes would bring. Ingram is more of a point / force forward, while Barnes slides in more than two or three.
Four-star combo guard Jalen Warley
Point / Combo Guard is the biggest need in this class and should probably be where the staff next draws the most attention. The Wolverines will lose both Eli Brooks and Mike Smith after 2020-21, leaving only Zeb Jackson as someone who can handle the ball on the squad. The Wolverines not only need bodies there, but also someone who can make a difference there. Warley has a connection with Phil Martelli and Michigan will continue to work hard on this relationship.
Four-star point guard Angelo Brizzi
As already mentioned, the guard will be a great need. I can see a scenario where Michigan lands a pair of point guards and like Warley, Brizzi has a relationship with Martelli and is someone Michigan loves. He’s still raw and gets his money’s worth, but if Michigan can add someone like Warley and Jackson, as announced, it will buy him some time.
Three-star striker Will Tschetter
This feels like a two-horse race between Michigan and Minnesota that Tschetter came from.
Other candidates
Michigan could have up to seven scholarships by 2021 if Chaundee Brown is eligible for this season and Franz Wagner becomes a professional.
Five-star center forward Efton Reid
It was whispered that Michigan would be interested in getting Reid to reclassify and fill last place in 2020, but the signs so far suggest that it will stay in 2021. Michigan will have Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns on the squad in 2021 -22 being the only player who can play the five, so they could use some depth somewhere on the line.
Five-star center Charles Bediako
Like Reid, Michigan monitors the tall Canadian man who moves to the IMG Academy. Things are still evolving in his recruitment, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the persecution intensify for one of these guys as we approach the critical section of the 2021 cycle.
Five-star guard Trevor Keels
If I were a betting guy, they could land either Ingram or Keels in a scenario where Michigan was in the best position. Landing both would be a damn good thing for her. Keels is more of a combo guard than a forward and has made comparisons with Dion Waiters.
Four-star guard Jaden Akins
If you asked me to place the point guard targets on the board, Warley and Brizzi are the first two, Akins in third place. Michigan landing at least one of these three guys would be positive.
Four-star striker Quincy Allen
Michigan put pressure, but Allen was considered slim in the state of North Carolina. It would be another gate wing that could be added to the class.
overview
I think Michigan is more likely to have more than five scholarships available than it is not. With so many vacancies to fill, there is an opportunity to combine early-season opportunities that appeal to potential customers, who want to present themselves to the next level and who also want to take risks for projects. Barnes fits the bill into the latter category as the first commit of the cycle.
With the needs they have and the names in the mix, people will ask again how Michigan can make room. The answer is the same as in this last cycle and that means things will develop on their own. After a wild off-season when we thought there was going to be a scholarship crisis, Michigan is now below the next season’s limit. But from now on, it feels like the kind of class you might be looking at.
