Class of 2014 Recruiting: Where Things Stand

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Michigan experienced a frenzy of commitments after extending class of 2013 offers on June 15th, 2011. With two commitments in June and two more in early August, John Beilein had nearly wrapped up his 2013 class before he even started. Michigan identified its targets and sealed the deal quickly. With the Wolverines appearing to be in a strong position for a number of 2014 targets this spring and summer, some expected a similar outbreak of commitments.

Four offers have gone out, but the commitments haven’t come just yet. However, the lack of early commitments is far from unique and certainly not reason for panic. Of Scout.com’s Top 75 in the class of 2014, just three players (all ranked in the bottom third) are committed.

With the live evaluation period in the books, high school set to resume, and fall visits ready to kick off we take a look at where Michigan’s 2014 recruiting stands right now by breaking down the Wolverine recruiting board into tiers.

Offers

Michigan has extended four offers to class of 2014 prospects and all four players emerged as consensus top 75 players after strong summer performances. Booker and Bates-Diop were June 15th offers that have held off an early commitment while Michigan has expanded to a pair of wings in Trevon Bluiett and Jae’Sean Tate with July and August offers respectively.

Devin Booker
Schools to Watch: Michigan, Missouri
Offers: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri
Skinny: Michigan identified Booker as a big time prospect earlier than most and that has reaped rewards for John Beilein and his staff. At one point Booker seemed to consider committing early but he’s backed off those talks and is exploring more options. Still, Michigan has hosted Booker on campus at least four times and has made a strong impact. Booker’s father was an All-American at Missouri, who has also offered a scholarship, and he’s also made a recent visit to Michigan State.

Keita Bates-Diop
Schools to Watch: Michigan, Purdue, Illinois
Offers: DePaul, Illinois,  Kansas State, Marquette, Michigan, Northwestern and Purdue
Skinny: Bates-Diop was Michigan’s other June 15th offer. The 6-foot-8 forward has inside and outside skill with a solid shooting stroke and incredible length. Engineering and education are critical for Bates-Diop which is one reason that many think Michigan and Purdue are in a strong position for his services. Home-state Illinois and new head coach John Groce have made a push, hosting Bates-Diop on a recent unofficial.

Trevon Bluiett
Schools to Watch: Indiana
Offers: Butler, Cincinnati, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, IUPUI, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Purdue, Virginia and Xavier
Skinny: Indiana has long been considered a front runner for Bluiett’s services and future scholarship charts suddenly look a lot more spacious with Ron Patterson (non qualify) and Trey Lyles (decommitment) out of the picture for now. Michigan hosted Bluiett this summer and made an impression but this will be a tough battle with major suitors such as Illinois, Louisville, Purdue, Kansas State and Notre Dame heavily involved.

Jae’Sean Tate
Schools to Watch: Michigan, Ohio State
Offers: Dayton, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, Xavier
Skinny: Tate was the most recent 2014 prospect to add a Michigan offer and his recruitment appears to be an Ohio State versus Michigan battle. The Columbus native has local ties to the Buckeyes but Michigan has made inroads into Tate’s Pickerington Central program on both the hardwood (Caris LeVert) and the gridiron (Taco Charlton).

Next Tier

Michigan is very involved with this group of prospects and mutual interest is strong but Beilein and his staff are either waiting for marked improvement, higher rated prospects to commit or potentially a campus visit.

• Vincent Edwards: Edwards had a productive summer and fits the combo forward role in Michigan’s system. Purdue has long been in a strong position for Edwards’ services but he reports talking to Michigan coaches “almost every other day” and is planning a visit within the next month and an offer could be forthcoming.
• Peyton Allen: If Michigan needs a shooter, Allen would be a good fit. He has good size and is surprisingly crafty when attacking the basket to go along with his lethal three point stroke.
• Aaron Brennan: Brennan is a combo forward with a diverse game and he drew attention from Michigan throughout the fall, if some of the higher rated combo forward prospects (Bates-Diop, Tate) go in other directions, perhaps Brennan could be an option.
• Bryant McIntosh: Another shooter, McIntosh had a strong summer and proved that he has point guard skills to combine with his deft shooting touch.
• Tyler Wideman: Michigan has been tracking Wideman, teammate of incoming freshman Glenn Robinson III, for quite some time but the strong post prospect never really took off this summer. Wideman added an offer from Xavier after July but it remains to be seen if Michigan will make an aggressive move.
• Sean O’Mara: O’Mara has risen quickly with a strong July but Michigan has seemed to back off of the Illinois native. The Wolverines never offered and didn’t spend much time watching O’Mara by the end of the summer despite the big man adding a number of major offers.

Long Shots

Michigan would offer any of these kids in a heartbeat if the Wolverine staff could lure them onto campus for a visit. These are top 30, or even top-15, level prospects that the Michigan staff has made strong overtures toward but seem to be lacking mutual interest.

• Cliff Alexander – Top ten big man hasn’t been listing Michigan near the top of his list.
• Justin Jackson – Houston native has spoken kindly of Michigan but has a lengthy list including high major plus offers.
• Kevon Looney – Milwaukee native was invited to Ann Arbor last fall for a football game but didn’t make it.

Watch List

Michigan has watched the players on this list at least once or twice this summer and has showed interest. Whether any prospects emerge as serious targets remains to be seen – for various reasons – but they are certainly names to remember.

• Marqywell Jackson – One of the top 2014 prospects in the state of Michigan, Jackson attended team camp in Ann Arbor and is a name to remember.
• Miroslav Jaksic – Walled Lake big man reclassified to 2014 and the Serbian-born big man could be an option if Michigan wants to add size to the class of 2014.
• Sean Sellers – Indiana native has been a Michigan target for a long time but interest seems to have slipped slightly throughout the summer.
• Darius Austin – At 6-foot-6, Austin is an attacking wing that is wired to get to the basket.
• Darreon Reddick – Another SW Illinois Jet, Reddick is a guard or wing with a solid handle and offensive game.
• Jalen Johnson – Ypsilanti native had a solid summer with Dorian’s Pride and provides an intriguing option at 6-foot-8.
• Jamal Poplar –  Lengthy combo forward that has visited Michigan unofficially for Ohio State game last fall.
• Javon Bess – Attacking guard prospect from Ohio, Bess has good size and a versatile game.
• Darrell Davis – Detroit native has the makings of a solid combo guard prospect but needs to grow.
• Devin Mitchell -Georgia guard has received Michigan interest.
• Edmond Sumner – John Beilein watched the Detroit Country Day guard at the GRBA Nationals in Fort Wayne in late July and Sumner could be a backup option in the backcourt.