The Wolverines are intent on landing a lead-guard type for the 2022 class with Devante Jones and Zeb Jackson the only potential upperclassmen guards on the current roster a year from now. Jones may have professional aspirations and attrition in contemporary basketball is the expectation rather than the exception.  

Things are heating up fast, with visits three visits set to kick-off over the next two weeks. This may very well be a race to commit first. The latest below. 

First Crack

5-star Jaden Bradley has long been the number one priority for the lead guard in 2022, but the recent outlook wasn't all that promising with a Kentucky commitment thought to be imminent in January and North Carolina picking up a crystal ball last week. 

Despite that, Bradley is slated to take an official visit to Michigan starting tomorrow per Sam Webb at 247. Any time you can get a prospect on campus, you have a legitimate shot at securing a commitment. Those chances only increase when Juwan Howard is the host for said visit. 

As I first reported here, sources have informed me that Jaden may be looking at the possibility of going the GLeauge/professional route or potential reclassification. I've long said that he's a bit overvalued to me as a 5-star prospect, so I don't necessarily think he's GLeauge material, but perhaps there is some interest here.

Back to the college options, Bradley will also take OVs to Alabama, UNC and Arizona during June. An unofficial visit to Kentucky is also in the works for August. Reading between the lines, it looks like he may be holding on to the final precious official for Kentucky after weighing his options elsewhere. That should also provide the Bradleys enough time to ascertain the viability of the professional route or reclassification. Michigan has a shot here, particularly with Juwan Howard as the lead-man making the pitch, but I'm definitely not optimistic that Jaden ultimately ends up in Ann Arbor. 

[Hit THE JUMP for updates on Trimble, McDaniel and Williams]

The Best Bet?

Fast rising 4-star guard Seth Trimble is up next on the visit trail, with his OV set to commence on June 13th. Michigan continues to trend well here, with Seth confirming today that he speaks with the coaching staff daily and the on-court fit being desirable:

"Michigan has been on me heavily, I talk to Coach Martelli every morning. I really enjoy Coach Howard and his personality, I feel they’re a team who could fit my play style and I’m excited to get out to visit soon."

If this were the only planned visit, a commitment might have been imminent in the aftermath. But his brother JP Tokoto is a former North Carolina wing and the Tar Heels will also receive an official visit as soon as he departs Ann Arbor. We cannot disregard the family ties here, but it seems as if UNC may be working from behind with a new HC in place and the questions surrounding playstyle. 

Seth unofficially visited home-town Marquette yesterday and had a positive review for newly minted coach Shaka Smart:

"Marquette visit went really well, really got to connect with Coach Smart and the rest of his staff. We went over the film, had some deep talks, went through the practice facility and FiservForum, and more. I really enjoyed the visit overall."

Still, this is situation much like UNC. A new coaching staff that hasn't necessarily prioritized him for any length of time, with the same questions concerning on-court fit. I like Michigan's chances here, but I certainly don't think a commitment is imminent with the North Carolina visit planned. Trimble's public timeline is late Summer, but that may be expedited after the UNC visit considering his widely-known affinity for the Wolverines. It will be interesting to see where things stand in late June.  

The Final of Three

Visits, that is. Michigan picked up a low-confidence crystal ball for Top-80 guard Dug McDaniel last week. Originally projected by many to be the initial commitment for 2022, his delay in doing so and interest elsewhere made that line of thinking questionable at best. Initially scheduled to make an OV to Ann Arbor during the first week of June, McDaniel is now scheduled to be on campus immediately after Seth Trimble as noted above in what looks like a priority shift. 

It seems like Dug isn't as far along in his recruitment in relation to Trimble. Last month I reported Penn State was set to make a serious push and McDaniel just added an OV to Penn State for June 12th. Dug also plans on visiting Arizona State as well, though dates have yet to be confirmed.

Dug hasn't conveyed a definitive timeline to the extent Seth Trimble has. That gives vibes of a prospect that isn't in any sort of rush with his recruitment. That said, Trimble feels more likely at this point on the basis of mutual interest and said timing. 

More Serious Than We Thought?

4-star guard Justice Williams has long been linked to number one overall prospect Jalen Duren. He followed him to Montverde and the two play travel ball together with Team Final on the AAU circuit. But Jalen Duren is a no-brainer professional prospect while Justice Williams is not.

That said, Williams is starting to get a bit more serious about his college recruitment after having it on the backburner until recently. He listed Michigan among the schools pursuing him the hardest a few weeks back and last week he confirmed intentions to visit Ann Arbor:

"As of right now I only have one visit planned, 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, you know, 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.”

The mutual interest here seems further along in relation to accepted wisdom. Williams is consistently mentioning Michigan as a school making a real push. And when a kid mentions his parents desire to visit, that usually indicates a certain level of deliberation in favor of said school. Now, Miami is a huge player for Jalen Duren should he decide to attend college. So the Hurricanes may be seen as the favorite based on that line of thinking, but if he opts for the pros, Michigan may be in the thick of things. The problem is the timeline. Trimble seems to be closer to a decision and he's a take for Michigan. If Seth waits things out though, things could get interesting here.