With the early signing period only three weeks away, it's closing time for a select few prospects, while a new name has also surfaced. The uncertainty of stay/go decisions on the horizon after the 2022-23 season in tandem with the portal means the net is a bit smaller in relation to the past for HS recruiting. Let's take a look at where we stand. 

GUARDS

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 consensus top-6 overall prospect

EM Ranking/Projected Impact: 5-star/#8 overall. Expected projection/production of a true 5-star prospect, even if it isn't necessarily what is expected of a consensus top-10 prospect as a freshman. Think consistent rotation player that plays 15-20 minutes per game at minimum, with the potential to be a starter by the time February/March comes around. Has positional size/frame that NBA covets, but lacks the desired twitchiness/acceleration and has some unnecessary motion on the shot mechanics that may give GMs some pause. Will likely be all-conference level player in year two if he sticks around in college.

Latest Recruiting Intel: Collier has set a November 16th decision date with USC, UCLA and Cincinnati the finalists competing with the Wolverines. This one doesn't seem to be trending Michigan's way, as Isaiah has not consistently communicated with the staff in recent weeks. High School and AAU teammate Arrinten Page committed to USC last week, adding fuel to the fire that the Trojans are in pole position here. Cincinnati added a pledge from 4-star PG Jizzle James a few weeks ago and Bearcat insiders I've spoken with this week now believe USC is the landing spot. With 5/6 FutureCast predictions and the lone Crystal Ball in favor of the Trojans in tandem with my intel above, it seems Michigan's top overall prospect is indeed headed to Los Angeles. 

George Washington III

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'2 and in the 165-175 range. Likely 6'1 - 6'2 and 180 based on my eye test. 

High School/AAU: Chaminade-Julienne HS (OH)/Nike EYBL All-Ohio (OH)

Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/60-135 range overall

EM Rankings/Evaluation: 3-star/#121 overall. Above-average/good volume perimeter shooter with outstanding shot mechanics. Averaged over 5 attempts per game from distance during all five EYBL sessions. Aggregate percentage is around 33%, but that isn't really indicative of the shooter he is because it doesn't account for shot difficulty. Washington can knock down jumpers off movement via pull-ups and screens from both distance and midrange. He's an average secondary ballhandler, but not a kid that is going to run ballscreens with any sort of volume. Physically, he's a tad undersized for the SG spot and is only an average athlete. Not likely to be an instant-impact player, but can provide valuable floorspacing while sticking around four years. A bit reminiscent of some Beilein-era targets.

Latest Recruiting Intel: Visited Michigan a few weekends ago and gave standard fluff in the aftermath. 247 reports that Michigan, Wake Forest and Louisville are the top tier of a final five that also includes Virginia and Dayton. Washington is originally from Louisville, so my opinion is the Cardinals are in strong position here if they turn up the heat. As of yesterday, George told me he has yet to lock-in a visit with Louisville, but that could change at any moment. I'd be remiss not to mention his father is on staff with the Dayton WBB team, so the Flyers are looming as well. Washington will take an official visit to Wake Forest commencing October 27th and plans to make a decision during the early signing period. Whether a Louisville visit materializes is the key component to monitor here. 

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The early signing period is roughly six weeks away and we're going down the home-stretch of a few recruitments while gaining steam with newer targets on the board. The uncertainty of stay/go decisions on the horizon after the 2022-23 season in tandem with the portal means the net is a bit smaller in relation to the past for HS recruiting. Let's take a look at where we stand. 

GUARDS

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 consensus top-6 overall prospect

EM Ranking/Projected Impact: 5-star/#8 overall. Expected projection/production of a true 5-star prospect, even if it isn't necessarily what is expected of a consensus top-10 prospect as a freshman. Think consistent rotation player that plays 15-20 minutes per game at minimum, with the potential to be a starter by the time February/March comes around. Has positional size/frame that NBA covets, but lacks the desired twitchiness/acceleration and has some unnecessary motion on the shot mechanics that may give GMs some pause. Will likely be all-conference level player in year two if he sticks around in college.

Latest Recruiting Intel: Isaiah has been at the very top of Michigan's recruiting board for the majority of 2022 and continues to be with a decision coming soon. Rob Cassidy of Rivals switched his FutureCast from USC to Cincinnati yesterday, while On3's Jamie Shaw still has the Trojans as the leader with the Wolverines surging and now in second place. Michigan's entire staff has completed home/school visits with Collier twice since the fall recruiting period opened on September 9th, so Juwan Howard and crew definitely believe they have a legit shot. I sound like a broken record, but nobody has a real grasp on things here, as Isaiah keeps a low-profile on his recruitment and there haven't been any leaks. It's a three-team race battle between USC, Michigan and Cincinnati. Hopefully the Wolverines cross the finish line first. 

George Washington III

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'2 and in the 165-175 range. Likely 6'1 - 6'2 and 180 based on my eye test. 

High School/AAU: Chaminade-Julienne HS (OH)/Nike EYBL All-Ohio (OH)

Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/60-135 range overall

EM Rankings/Evaluation: 3-star/#121 overall. Above-average/good volume perimeter shooter with outstanding shot mechanics. Averaged over 5 attempts per game from distance during all five EYBL sessions. Aggregate percentage is around 33%, but that isn't really indicative of the shooter he is because it doesn't account for shot difficulty. Washington can knock down jumpers off movement via pull-ups and screens from both distance and midrange. He's an average secondary ballhandler, but not a kid that is going to run ballscreens with any sort of volume. Physically, he's a tad undersized for the SG spot and is only an average athlete. Not likely to be an instant-impact player, but can provide valuable floorspacing while sticking around four years. A bit reminiscent of some Beilein-era targets.

Latest Recruiting Intel: As first reported by your author earlier this month, the Wolverines have been in heavy pursuit of the former Ohio State commit. The interest is clearly mutual, as George included Michigan in a final five that also includes Louisville, Virginia, Dayton and Wake Forest. Washington was initially scheduled to be in Ann Arbor last weekend, but decided to postpone that visit so that Louisville HC Kenny Payne could attend a school visit/workout. Although he now attends HS in Ohio, George resided in Louisville for two years before making that move. Accounting for that, I'm inclined to think the Cardinals are in strong position here, along with Dayton, where his father is on staff with the WBB team. Look for Washington to make his official visits public later this week, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him cut his list to four. Keep in mind he only has 4 OVs left. In any event, Michigan should get a visit/make the cut. Washington is is looking to make a decision prior to the November signing period, so upcoming visits will play a critical role down the stretch. 

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The early signing period in November is less than two months away and we're coming down the home-stretch of several key recruitments. The uncertainty of stay/go decisions on the horizon after the 2022-23 season in tandem with the portal means the net is a bit smaller in relation to the past for HS recruiting. Let's see where we stand. 

GUARDS

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 consensus top-6 overall prospect

EM Ranking/Projected Impact: 5-star/#8 overall. Expected projection/production of a true 5-star prospect, even if it isn't necessarily what is expected of a consensus top-10 prospect as a freshman. Think consistent rotation player that plays 15-20 minutes per game at minimum, with the potential to be a starter by the time February/March comes around. Has positional size/frame that NBA covets, but lacks the desired twitchiness/acceleration and has some unnecessary motion on the shot mechanics that may give GMs some pause. Will likely be all-conference level player in year two if he sticks around in college.

Latest Recruiting Intel: Collier is the number one prospect on the 2023 board for Michigan and the full staff was on hand at Isaiah's high school for the first day of the fall recruiting period on Friday. A few weeks ago, Jamie Shaw over at On3 opined that USC is the leader with Cincinnati and Michigan in a tie for second place with a decision rumored to be coming later this month. As I've stated repeatedly, Collier is playing things extremely close to the vest and it's very unlikely anyone has reliable intel, even the respective coaching staffs. To that point, head coaches from both Cincinnati and USC were also at Wheeler HS (GA) for opening day of the fall recruiting period. I have yet to see a report of UCLA doing a school/home visit since Friday, which says something about something. Deducing from that, this seems like a three-horse race between USC, Michigan and Cincinnati and I don't think anyone can speak intelligently beyond that. Fingers crossed that Juwan Howard and staff can close. 

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/Top-30 overall to all sites exclusive of Rivals (#63).

EM Rankings/Evaluation: 4-star/#27 overall. Twitchy athlete with some real acceleration + strength and getting to the rim has never been a problem. Above-average handle with ability to change direction/speed with a live dribble. 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. 

Recruitment: Included Michigan in a top-eleven list a few weeks ago, but I'm told the Wolverines probably aren't a serious option at this point despite the family ties. Took official visit to Miami over the weekend and will OV to Kansas later this month. Will cut his list again in the near future and to be candid, I'm not sure Michigan makes the cut. I'm inclined to believe Maryland, Texas and UCLA are all ahead of the Wolverines along with Miami + Kansas. Barring a change of heart, Elmarko probably won't be in this class. 

George Washington III

Height/Weight: Listed at 6'2 and in the 165-175 range. Likely 6'1 - 6'2 and 180 based on my eye test. 

High School/AAU: Chaminade-Julienne HS (OH)/Nike EYBL All-Ohio (OH)

Mainstream Ranking: 4-star/60-135 range overall

EM Rankings/Evaluation: 3-star/#121 overall. Above-average/good volume perimeter shooter with outstanding shot mechanics. Averaged over 5 attempts per game from distance during all five EYBL sessions. Aggregate percentage is around 33%, but that isn't really indicative of the shooter he is because it doesn't account for shot difficulty. Washington can knock down jumpers off movement via pull-ups and screens from both distance and midrange. He's an average secondary ballhandler, but not a kid that is going to run ballscreens with any sort of volume. Physically, he's a tad undersized for the SG spot and is only an average athlete. Not likely to be an instant-impact player, but can provide valuable floorspacing while sticking around four years. A bit reminiscent of some Beilein-era targets.

Recruitment: I can confirm the Michigan staff has made contact with Washington after de-committing from Ohio State last Monday. A plethora of programs have joined the race in the last week, but George's father is currently an assistant coach with Dayton WBB, so it wouldn't be shocking to see the Flyers shoot the to the top of the list. Until visits are scheduled, we won't know who the real contenders are.

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