Michigan Basketball Moves Into The Top Five Of National Recruiting Rankings

Michigan Wolverines basketball's 2022 recruiting class moved up in the national recruiting rankings following the addition of Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star shooting guard Jett Howard, the son of U-M head coach Juwan Howard.

Howard made his official visit to Michigan during the weekend of Sept. 18, getting a full tour of the campus and taking in the Wolverines' football game against Northern Illinois. He chose the Maize and Blue over fellow finalists Georgetown, NC State and Tennessee.

The 6-5, 180-pounder is the fourth commit — all of whom are ranked in the top 100 overall — in the Wolverines' haul, joining Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI four-star point guard Dug McDaniel, Branson (Mo.) Link Year four-star center Tarris Reed Jr. and Pompano Beach (Fla.) Calvary Christian four-star power forward Gregg Glenn III.

RELATED: Why Playing For His Dad At Michigan Was The Right Choice For Jett Howard

RELATED: Four-Star Jett Howard Commits To Michigan Basketball

Following the addition of Howard, Michigan surged from No. 14 in Rivals.com's national recruiting rankings to No. 4, passing Oregon, USC, Connecticut, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, Kansas and Villanova in the process.

The nation's No. 35 overall player in his class gave U-M 735 points, bringing the Wolverines' count from 1,702 to 2,437.

Michigan's star average, of course, is four, since all four pledges are four-star prospects. No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Kentucky have a higher star average than the Wolverines — 4.75 and 4.67, respectively — while No. 3 Ohio State possesses a star average of 3.8 while holding five pledges.

Juwan Howard and Co. are within striking distance of possessing a top-three class. The Buckeyes are just 11 points ahead of the Wolverines, who have could potentially add one more prospect to their 2022 haul.

Michigan's No. 4 ranking is the second highest among Big Ten teams, trailing only the Buckeyes. Below, we've provided a look at how Big Ten teams stack up.

1. Ohio State (3)

2. Michigan (4)

3. Indiana (16)

4. Penn State (20

5. Illinois (29)

6. Purdue (30)

7. Nebraska (32)

8. Michigan State (35)

9. Minnesota (t-47)

9. Rutgers (t-47)

11. Northwestern (57)

12. Iowa (60)

13. Maryland (t-75)

13. Wisconsin (t-75)

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