With Hunter Dickinson already testing the draft waters and Moussa Diabate having one-and-done potential, Michigan is absolutely taking a true center in the 2022 class. The Wolverines are firmly in the mix for a few elite bigs and starting to explore other options with new offers and interest in recent days. The full rundown at the center position below.

 

The Latest on Lively

We're at the time of year where actions carry more weight then words when programs have limited time/resources with multiple events going on simultaneously. Juwan Howard made his first stop of last weekend's live evaluation period in New Jersey to see 5-star Dereck Lively. That said, Dereck Lively is a clear priority at the center position.

Lively dropped his final seven on Friday that consists of Michigan along with Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Penn State, USC and Florida State. Lively hasn't been subtle about Kentucky being a coveted offer and furthered that sentiment with these comments yesterday to Zag's Blog:

“It was a great experience to receive that offer. It was good to finally have that offer so I could release my top 7 and cut down my list.”

Per the same article, Dereck is visiting Duke tomorrow and plans to visit Michigan, USC and Florida State in the fall but I don't necessarily buy it. When a prospect is literally waiting on a single offer to release a final seven, that says a lot. Again, actions>words.

Further, I did my own digging this weekend and word has it that Kentucky feels very strong about their standing in the aftermath of Lively's official visit to Lexington. This one is fading fast, and unless Michigan is able to get Dereck on campus so Juwan Howard can work his magic, the Wolverines are on the outside looking in. 

 

Still In The Hunt

4-star Donovan Clingan was on campus in Columbus over the weekend for an official visit with Ohio State. He's also completed OVs with Michigan and Syracuse. Last Thursday Rivals had a reaction piece with with Poppa Clingan conerning his trip to Ann Arbor and Dad continued to play things close to the vest and may have come off a bit lukewarm:

"Donovan seemed to like it, but if you think he's tight-lipped with you (in the media), he's even more so with me. But it’s only one visit. He has to go to a few, take a look at everything. I feel bad for him, because the poor kid is going to have to tell some people 'no,' and he's built a lot of great relationships. He's such a nice kid."

And while Clingan has already taken an unofficial visit with UConn, he's going to see the hometown school in an official capacity this week. I checked in on things over the weekend, and UConn feels good about their standing here heading into the visit.

The Clingans have played things close throughout the process, so it's hard to get a proper feel for where things are at. Again though, the actions. UConn getting two visits, and the final visit prior to the live evaluation period has to mean something. This is probably a heart versus mind tug-of-war and it still appears to be a 50/50 battle between Michigan and UConn, with Syracuse probably running third. 

[Hit THE JUMP for Reed, Flip and Dom]

Probably Not Happening

I was in the Chicago-area over the weekend and assistant coach Howard Eisley was on hand to watch top-80 big Tarris Reed. Not much in the way of evaluation, as Reed and Link Year Academy didn't end up playing the greatest competition. Some of the opposition were without key players while another competitive out-of-state team forfeit a Sunday morning bracket-play game in favor of getting an early start on the drive back home.

On the recruiting front, I checked in with multiple sources and Ohio State absolutely seems like the leader here. I sound like a broken record, but again the actions here say a lot. In my linked tweet regarding Eisley above, OSU lead man Chris Holtmann was on hand. I'm told Reed liked the Buckeyes so much that he was ready to commit during his official visit last week. Those close to him were able to slow him down a bit and so the door is at least partially open. That said, until Michigan gets him on campus this one isn't all that serious. The Wolverines are definitely working from behind. 

 

New Offer

Juwan Howard extended an offer to 5-star (for me) Kyle Filipowski yesterday after watching him during the live evaluation period over the weekend. No need for me to provide an extensive evaluation. Me ranking him as a 5-star for months while mainstreams have him in the 50-90 range tells you all you need to know about my opinion.

And much like the discussion of his skillset, I'll keep it brief concerning his recruitment. As mentioned in May, Filipowski plays travel-ball for the nephew of Duke leading man Mike Krzyzewski. Kyle is on campus at Duke for an official visit as we speak and I don't think you need me to tell you how this one is likely to end. 

 

Expanding The Board

I've hinted since early June that Dominick Campbell was an up-and-coming prospect that caught the eye of the staff when he faced off versus Clingan in late May. I confirm the intrigue has now turned into interest, as the staff has now made contact. 

Campbell is currently unranked, but is experiencing the proverbial blow-up in recent weeks as offers have come rolling in from Illinois, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Stanford, South Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Providence and Penn State all within the last month. I have yet to see him play live, but based on film he has the look of a stretch 4/5 with good footwork and vision while having limited athleticism. 

More importantly, expanding the board is likely indicative of where things stand with Lively and the staff is lining up alternatives if Clingan doesn't work out.