During the last two recruiting cycles, Juwan Howard's affinity for wing type prospects is becoming increasingly clear. He covets a certain type of player that generally goes 6'6+, has plus athleticism and a physically developed frame. That profile has bore out in terms of 2022 offers, with the Wolverines offering six prospects that fit the aforementioned criteria. 

I hit the road over the weekend, making stops in Atlanta and Birmingham for the Under Armour and Adidas shoe-circuit events. I now have a firm grip on pecking order with the wings after gathering the latest intel and will cover each option in order of staff preference (as opposed to most likely).

**Note - a very reliable source tells me that Michigan is dealing with four open scholarships for 2022 as of right now, and that includes a spot for Jett Howard. Functionally, the Wolverines have two open spots as of now.**

Clear Priority

4-star Ty Rodgers is a high-motor athlete and versatile defender capable of checking three positions at the next level. Offensively, he's a bit limited in that he's a non-shooter at this stage of development, but figures to be productive in transition while providing putbacks on the offensive glass. Ty didn't necessarily get off to a productive start to EYBL yesterday, as he was limited to 3 points, but did have some nice moments as a passer with 4 assists.

Just one month ago, the staff was relatively confident that Rodgers would commit in the aftermath of his OV to Ann Arbor. And while the coaches are still in heavy pursuit as evidenced by their presence in Birmingham over the weekend, this isn't the sure thing it was once thought to be.

It is becoming clear that Rodgers may not be as far down the road with the Wolverines in relation to accepted thought. He took an unofficial visit to East Lansing a few weeks ago and mentioned the Spartans and UConn as schools pushing hard to Rivals, while failing to reference Michigan. 

I get the vibe that the clock is starting to tick on Ty, and if things don't progress by early August, the staff may start to prioritize new targets identified during the live evaluation period.

Safety Net

Top-100 wing Gregg Glenn is currently injured, but appears to be playing for this third AAU team since March, as he now appears on the Georgia Stars (Nike EYBL) roster.

We haven't heard much recently about Glenn in connection with Michigan or any other school for that matter. After speaking with a few sources, it seems like he may be the fallback option should Michigan not land Rodgers or a more coveted replacement. This information in tandem with a lack of buzz surrounding Gregg and his other suitors may potentially indicate that Glenn is perhaps waiting on Juwan Howard to give him the green light to hop aboard the Maize and Blue train. It remains to be seen whether that happens or not.

[Hit THE JUMP for the remaining options]

Wait And See

4-star AJ Casey is a good athlete at 6'7 that projects to be a versatile player that does a lot of things at an above-average rate, while not necessarily excelling in any one area. His lack of production this spring has resulted in his stock slipping a bit. He didn't help that sentiment in his EYBL debut yesterday for Meanstreets, scoring only 4 points with 2 rebounds in 25 minutes of game action.

On the recruiting front, things have slowed down a bit with Casey as some schools have cooled on him over the last month. As it relates to Michigan, the absence of a visit isn't due to AJ's lack of desire. Although AJ says Michigan is among the schools he hears from the most in an interview from yesterday, the staff is evaluating him throughout the month of July to determine where he stands on the board.

I still like Casey's projection as a multi-year college player, even if he's not an instant-impact type. But it's clear the staff has slowed things down here and is wait-and-see mode as opposed to full pursuit.

Your Dailey Update

Top-50 wing Eric Dailey is the sort of versatile + athletic prospect that probably projects to be an instant contributor at the college level. He's a three-level scorer that will likely be a matchup problem for the opposition. He had a strong debut in EYBL yesterday, dropping 14 points and 2 assists on 2/3 from beyond the arch.

Information concerning his recruitment has been surprisingly scant for a prospect of this caliber. The reason for this may be that coaches expect he'll pursue professional options overseas and that thought process may be justified. In a recent update with Pro Insight, Eric didn't necessarily shoot down those rumors:

"I’m open to everything, whatever is right for me or whatever opportunity I have. I’m going to see all options of course because you can’t just leave money on the table. It’s God’s plan, it’s not even up to me, so whatever happens it’s up to God."

If college is in the cards, I'd expect Michigan to be one of a handful of programs to seriously contend for his commitment, though I don't know how hard the staff will push given that we're working with one open 2022 scholarship for a wing/forward.

Probably Not Happening

4-star wing/forward Colin Smith had a monster performance in Birmingham during the live evaluation period, going for 37 points with seven triples on Friday. More PF than wing based on his agility, Smith has been in the middle of my wings-board based on his ability to be a multi-year contributor in college while being compatible with most lineups due to his size + shotmaking ability.

Michigan is in the final 10 for Smith, but as I suggested last week, this recruitment isn't close to being over. Georgia Tech offered yesterday and I'm told Oklahoma is now entering the mix. With new schools popping up by the week and the recent transfer to Arizona Compass Prep, the timelines for each party probably aren't workable. If Michigan strikes out on their primary options, perhaps the staff circles back around on this one.

New Name

Top-40 wing Julian Phillips is a prospect the staff watched over the weekend in Birmingham. After taking in a few games, it was easy to see why. At a lengthy 6'7 with good athleticism, the ability to create off the dribble and a nice looking stroke from the perimeter, he's a better prospect than any of the names above, particularly at the professional level.

I won't get into much detail concerning his recruitment, as sources tell me that Florida State and LSU are the leaders for Phillips at this point. For a variety of reasons, I don't think Michigan will get far here.

In Passing

I had the opportunity to chat with Jarace Walker's father in the car rental facility at the Atlanta airport over the weekend. Don't be surprised to see Jarace partner up with Jaden Bradley at Alabama.

I've had a lot of questions concerning Michigan's involvement with 2022 guard Chance Westry in recent months. Don't be surprised if he commits to a certain SEC school during the second week of August.

Freshman Tidbits

Early reports are Kobe Bufkin is already transforming his body and adding muscle mass. The plan is to play him in a versatile role where he's on-ball at times. Assuming he's able to continue adding strength + mass, he's likely to crack the rotation.

Frankie Collins needs work on his jumper, the staff is going to work with him to re-shape his shot mechanics.