yohan traore

Michigan has filled the 2022 class with the PG of the future in Dug McDaniel along with another top-tier big in Tarris Reed. With Jett Howard likely to hop aboard relatively soon, the Wolverines are honing in on a select few prospects to round out the class.

With football season in full swing, visit season is upon us and this is where we weed out serious mutual interest from lip-service. All the latest below.

Gregg Glenn Set To Announce

4-star Gregg Glenn will make his college destination public on October 4th. Glenn is fresh off an official visit to Ann Arbor and all four Future Cast predictions are in favor of the Wolverines. Virginia Tech, Iona, Georgia and USF are the other finalists. 

I'm not going to insult your intelligence and pretend this is a fierce battle. With deep ties to the Howard family and a committable offer now available, all things point to a Michigan pledge next Monday. The question is whether his good friend Jett joins the festivities. 

All Eyes On Yohan

5-star Yohan Traore made his way to campus for an OV over the weekend. No public comments have surfaced in the aftermath, but I've done some digging here to see where things stand.

Official visits rarely go bad, particularly those visits where Juwan Howard is present. It is safe to assume the Wolverine staff, along with friend Moussa Diabate, made Traore feel comfortable while giving him the red-carpet treatment. 

Sources have informed me that an influential person within Yohan's inner-circle may be relocating in the near future. If the Detroit/Ann-Arbor area happens to be a serious possibility, one can't help but to think Michigan's chances increase substantially. This may also explain why Traore will visit Kansas this weekend despite the Jayhawks' absence from the final ten. 

There are a lot of moving parts with this recruitment and the final ten can probably be disregarded at this point. The visits obviously tell a big part of the story along with the information conveyed above. I'm not sure anyone has a firm grip on where things are headed. 

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Michigan has filled the 2022 class with the PG of the future in Dug McDaniel along with another top-tier big in Tarris Reed. With Jett Howard likely to hop aboard relatively soon, the Wolverines are honing in on a select few prospects to round out the class.

With football season in full swing, visit season is upon us and this is where we weed out serious mutual interest from lip-service. All the latest below.

Getting Serious

5-star Yohan Traore will make his way to Ann Arbor for an official visit this weekend. Michigan made a final ten last month, but this is confirmation of serious interest considering official visits are at a premium for both parties involved. 

Yohan took an OV to Texas Tech last weekend, but little else is known about this recruitment beyond that and legit information has been hard to come by. What I do know is that Traore simultaneously fits the criteria for best available talent, depth in the frontcourt and just enough skill + mobility to be a big wing/PF type. 

The staff will undoubtedly roll out the red carpet and make the pitch for him to be a power-forward and it will be an honest pitch with Tarris Reed already in the mix. While getting Yohan in for an OV is a significant development, I get the vibe this recruitment is a long ways from being over and I'd be a bit surprised if he signs during the early period.

Circling Back Around

I was first to report that 4-star Colin Smith will be on campus for an OV starting this Friday. After being a secondary option for much of the last six months, Smith has to be considered a priority now with Michigan using valuable resources by allocating a precious OV. 

This is an interesting recruitment, with Colin and the Wolverines being hot and cold with one another over the last two years. Accepted wisdom had Smith as a Stanford lean with his sister a volleyball player in Palo Alto and former HS/AAU teammate Harrison Ingram a freshman on the basketball team. A source on the Stanford side indicates that they have cooled a bit on Colin and he may not be a take depending on how things shake out with their priority prospects. 

Smith took an official visit to Vanderbilt over the weekend and Jerry Stackhouse has been a constant in this recruitment. He also hit Arizona State for an OV for Labor Day weekend. Those two are obviously legit options as well. That said, I think Michigan wins this recruitment if they want to. The question becomes whether he's a take at this point in tandem with the staff's feel on other options. 

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Michigan solidified the frontcourt by adding a big piece (literally) last month with the verbal commitment of top-40 center Tarris Reed. And while Tarris figures to be the starting center for the Wolverines at some point in the not-so-distant future,  Juwan Howard still needs another big with Hunter Dickinson a lock to leave and Moussa Diabate having one-and-done potential. Let's take a look at the 2022 frontcourt options in addition to news elsewhere.

Making The Cut

5-star Yohan Traore released a top ten last week that included Michigan. Narrowing things to ten options indicates that Traore is still in the early stages of his recruitment as opposed to coming down the stretch. Yohan's comments to 247 last week support that sentiment:

"I am really going to think long-term with my decision. It will probably be made around April. I want to take my time, be patient, and take all the information to the drawing board."

As it relates to the Wolverines specifically, Assistant coach Saddi Washington has made the versatile big an absolute priority since July and that diligence in tandem with Juwan Howard's NBA experience has Michigan in the mix.

"Juwan Howard has so much of a basketball legacy over there, even with him playing and coaching in the NBA. He can give insight on what they are looking for and what it takes to play on that level. The coaching staff has been amazing. Saddi Washington has been an amazing recruiter in how he keeps things transparent and trying to help out as much as possible."

In speaking with Yohan, he did inform me that he tentatively plans to visit Ann Arbor, but has yet to lock in any visits and doesn't appear to be in any rush to make a decision. As a newcomer to the United States, Traore has a few people in his inner-circle that will aid in the process and that may complicate things here. What I can say is that Yohan has been receptive to the staff since contact was initially made and the interest so far has been mutual. 

I'll reiterate that his preference is to play the power-forward spot rather than center. Michigan is making that pitch to Yohan and it is a legitimate one with Tarris Reed now in the mix. Getting him on campus is key. Until that happens, nothing can be considered serious here, particularly with professional options being considered. 

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