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 as the upcoming live evaluation periods in July are quickly approaching. The full rundown at the center position below.

The Best Bet

Top-50 center Donovan Clingan is set to hit Ann Arbor for an official visit on June 11th. Michigan is in good position here and one-on-one time with Juwan Howard going into full detail with regard to Clingan's fit in the Wolverine offense can only improve that position.

Donovan is also slated to take OVs to Syracuse, Ohio State and UConn, with Kentucky putting out a feeler earlier this week. The Huskies will also get an unofficial visit in the aftermath of the trip to Ann Arbor. The visits are undoubtedly indicative of the serious players in this recruitment, but functionally this a two-horse race between the Wolverines and UConn.

In speaking with multiple sources in the last week, Juwan Howard has made up a ton of ground with Clingan. So much so, that this a true 50/50 battle. But Donovan taking two visits to UConn within a two week period speaks volumes about where the Huskies stand as well. Clingan's official trip to Michigan will go a long way in determining our standing moving forward. If we know anything about Juwan Howard though, he absolutely resonates with prospects and their respective families in a way that few college coaches can. It's closing time.

[Hit THE JUMP for the latest on Lively and a few plan B/C Types]

A Blueblood Affair

I was first to tout 7-footer Dereck Lively as a 5-star level prospect in April and Rivals agrees, bumping him to a top-15 overall prospect. And with his impressive performances this Spring, Dereck's stock on the recruiting trail has exploded. Official visits have been scheduled to North Carolina, Kentucky and Duke during the month of June. 

Kentucky in particular seems to be making a major move here despite the lack of an offer. Lively went in-depth about the fast-developing relationship with John Calipari with Rivals this week:

"He really just tells me about the mindset of being a pro athlete, and being a one and done athlete, and what he could with my game to take it to the next level. It's something that I definitely take into mind and something that I really like hearing."

When I last spoke with Dereck he seemed intent on setting up a visit to Ann Arbor, but that was prior to heavy pursuit from the aforementioned bluebloods. And while he may still schedule an OV to Michigan, it seems as if the Kentucky/Duke/UNC trio are at the forefront of his mind. The big question here is whether Kentucky extends an offer soon, as he may not be the top priority for the Wildcats. And North Carolina just picked up a commitment from a 3-star big. So perhaps a Lively/Michigan marriage is still possible given the context, but things don't appear to be trending well at the moment. 

Potential Plan B/C Types

The Michigan staff has been intrigued with 2022 big Dominick Campbell of the Middlesex Magic since watching him take on Donovan Clingan + Team Spartans in late May at the Circuit League event in Dallas. 

Campbell is currently unranked, but is experiencing the proverbial blow-up in recent weeks as offers have come rolling in from Notre Dame, Stanford, South Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia Tech, Providence and Penn State all within the last two weeks. 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. 

There are some connections here, as Duncan Robinson also played his AAU ball with the Middlesex Magic. This may be one to monitor come July if Clingan fails to commit or give strong indications concerning the same in the aftermath of his official visit. 

2022 Javon Adams is a prospect that caught my eye a bit in Hampton at the Southern Jamfest. At 6'10 he displayed some nice ball-skills in the open court along with good athleticism. He's very under-the-radar right now, but recently picked up an offer from Rhode Island. A Pennsylvania native, he's had some very preliminary interest from assistant coach Phil Martelli since late April, but there's nothing serious at the moment. I do like the potential here, as Adams is lengthy athlete with some perimeter skill, but he's clearly a tier below our current offers.