With the addition of Jaelin Llewellyn and the departure of Frankie Collins, the Wolverine roster only has three true guards heading into the 2022-23 season. Barring more transfer additions to the backcourt, the staff will look to add guard depth via 2023 HS prospects. 

Let's take a look at the pecking order heading coming off the first live evaluation period of June.

Isaiah Collier

Height/Weight: Listed height in the 6'2 - 6'4 range, with listed weight ranging between 170 - 205. Eye test says he's probably a legit 6'2 and 190-195.

High School/AAU: Marietta Wheeler HS (GA)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA)

Mainstream Ranking: Now a top-5 overall prospect to both On3 and Rivals. 247 bumped him up to #10 overall. 

EM Ranking/Evaluation: After watching Collier extensively in the Spring, the projected impact is definitely that of a 5-star prospect with an extremely high floor. The playmaking ability for others is off the charts as seen in my footage above. While he was a known commodity as a passer, I didn't anticipate him to be a perimeter shotmaker to the extent I witnessed. Particularly when considering that a good portion of the attempts are difficult pull-ups. He's streaky as a shooter, but even if Collier is a consistent mid-30s type shooter from distance, that translates to a guy that has huge impact on the game given his ability to make others better and get downhill off the bounce. Athletically, my initial comp of poor man's Jrue Holiday was relatively accurate. Isaiah doesn't have the vertical explosion of Holiday (hence poor man's version) and isn't quite as tall, but his strength/core balance is impeccable for a HS junior. Defenders bounce off him when he's attacking the paint and his physicality can be overwhelming. He's not necessarily a shifty ballhandler, but he does have a solid handle and controls the ball while not being a big TO risk. There is no doubt in my mind that he can step in and be a rotational player at Michigan from the day he steps on campus. There is a clear gap between Isaiah and the remaining prospects on this list. 

Recruitment: I checked on things here after the recent West Coast visits to both UCLA and USC, as reports suggest the Bruins are surging. What I can say is that Isaiah's brother resides in the LA area and is looking to get into the entertainment industry. I have no intel to confirm this, but it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if both UCLA + USC could somehow make that goal more attainable if Isaiah were to play basketball at their respective institutions. As it relates to Michigan, the Wolverines are all in here. Collier didn't suit up during last weekend's live evaluation period in Georgia due to injury, but Juwan Howard was still present at Wheeler's game just to reiterate his prioritization of Isaiah. The all-out pursuit is apparently paying dividends, as Isaiah's Mom says he will take his final official visit to Ann Arbor. The staff will try to sell distance and opportunity, as Ann Arbor is much closer to Atlanta and there is no doubt in my mind that Collier would be a legitimate rotational piece as a freshman and the staff feels the same. That said, I don't necessarily know if Michigan can match what UCLA/USC have to offer in this particular scenario. Get him on campus though, and anything can happen. 

 

Marvel Allen

Height/Weight: 6'4/195 (listed measurements), most likely a legit 6'2 - 6'3 and 185-190

High School/AAU: Montverde Academy (FL)/Nike EYBL The Skill Factory (GA)

Mainstream Ranking: As predicted, Allen's stock is slipping. He's now down to #50 overall on 247 and #69 overall for On3. Still holding on to top-25 overall status with both Rivals and ESPN, but I'd anticipate those services following suit as well. 

EM Ranking/Evaluation: I've been subtle in saying that I'm not a huge fan of Allen. To be candid, Marvel has the look of a 100-150 level prospect as opposed to a borderline 5-star. He's a below-average shooter as a catch + shoot floorspacer (shooting 22.7% from distance during EYBL play) and isn't good enough as a playmaker for others to justify playing him on-ball with heavy volume. Allen is a solid athlete, but lacks twitch and doesn't possess great acceleration. But he is strong and can absorb contact when going downhill, getting to the charity stripe at a nice clip for a guard. The fundamental issue for me is that he's functionally a bully-ball wing in the body of a SG. Just don't know that he has the necessary athleticism, given his size, to thrive in that sort of role in the B10. 

Recruitment: Offered in late March. There are connections here, as Allen is the former HS teammate of incoming freshman Greg Glenn. Current AAU teammate of Isaiah Collier for The Skill Factory as well, so the staff has evaluated Marvel extensively over the last year. Took OV to Georgetown in May and the Hoyas still seem to be a serious player here. Says he is 100% taking an official visit to Michigan with Florida State, Texas A&M and LSU being the other contenders. Reading between the lines, this seems similar to the Greg Glenn situation last year. Allen isn't as high on the board in relation to others, but might be the fallback option should we strike out with more coveted options. If Juwan Howard makes a serious push and Marvel does end up visiting, it's likely Marvel ends up in the class. 

[After THE JUMP: Elmarko Jackson anyone?]

Elmarko Jackson

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'3 and 185 pounds. That appears very accurate to my eyes.

High School/AAU: Recently transferred to South Kent in CT (now teammates w/Papa Kante)/Under Armour WeR1 (DE)

Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/60-150 range

EM Rankings/Evaluation: Projects to have the impact of a prospect that ranks in the 40-60 range overall if his performances this year are the new normal. I've watched Jackson live four games since April and each time he's looked much better than last year as a shooter. As you can see from my film above at UA Session II in April, Elmarko is consistently hitting midrange pull-ups and triples off movement. My most recent viewing came last weekend in Connecticut and Jackson hit at least two pull-up triples in all three games I viewed live. He's a twitchy athlete with some real acceleration + strength and getting to the rim has never been a problem. While the decision-making in terms of playmaking is still inconsistent, there are flashes there that allow one to project him favorably in that regard. Don't necessarily know if he'd be a guy that plays heavy minutes as a freshman, but there is some pro upside down the road given his positional size + athleticism in tandem with the much improved perimeter shotmaking. Would much prefer him in relation to Allen. 

Recruitment: Blowing up since last weekend's live evaluation period. Has received offers from Virginia, Tennessee, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Pitt and DePaul over the last five days. Michigan was in attendance for each game that Jackson played in Hamden and Jackson definitely caught the staff's attention. Hopefully enough to extend an offer. You may recall that Elmarko is the nephew of former Michigan FB standout and Indianapolis Colt, Marlin Jackson. The fit with Michigan is perfect in any way one can fathom, as Jackson is a high-academic kid that also holds Lacrosse offers from multiple Ivy League programs in addition to Michigan. As someone that talks to Elmarko/his family consistently, the question is how long will it take Michigan to get serious? He's not that far down the road with his recruitment just yet, but the lack of true pursuit has not gone without notice. I'm inclined to think the staff should ramp things up in the near future.

 

Happy Trails

4-star Aden Holloway is down to a final two of Auburn and Tennessee. Michigan never received and visit and Holloway was a bit hurt by the fact that his former La Lumiere teammate, Jeremy Fears, was offered before the staff ramped things up with him.