Michigan Wolverines Basketball Recruiting: Jett Howard Sets Decision Date

Juwan Howard and his Michigan Wolverines basketball team are rolling, and it appears life is only going to get better in the near future.

Four-star wing Jett Howard, one of the faster risers in the 2022 class, is set to make his announcement Oct. 13, and the Wolverines are the heavy favorite to land Juwan's son.

The younger Howard has visited Tennessee and N.C. State and enjoyed both with his father's blessing.

“He tells me, ‘I don’t want you to look back in 30 years and have regrets … feel like I pushed you into doing something you didn’t want to do,” the younger Howard said. “I know he wants me to be happy.”

So his dad treated him like a recruit on his visit a few weeks back instead of just his son, taking him around campus, showing him the facilities and letting him know just how much he wanted him to join his program.

It started when he, point guard pledge Dug McDaniel of Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI (5-10, No. 71) and forward Gregg Glenn (6-7, 210, No. 77 - he's expected to pledge to U-M today) of Pompano Beach (Fla.) Calvary Christian all arrived for their officials. The trio know each other well, having played AAU ball together growing up, and shared the experience together.

Also involved — Michigan sophomore Jace Howard. It was his birthday weekend, too, and they enjoyed breakfast together Sunday morning with the family before the visit ended … with Jett taking a nap at the head coach’s house Sunday afternoon.

Asked if all recruits got equal treatment, Howard responded with a laugh, ‘It’s my mom!’”

And she (Jenine Howard) has been as instrumental in his development as anyone. She was traveling with her sons when her husband was still in the NBA, and she’s been helping Jett with the recruiting process. She was with him on the trip to Tennessee, and she was as impressed as her son.

“She loves coach [Rick] Barnes,’” Howard said. “They did a great job showing their vision for me … how they would use me in the offense. They really let me know how I’d fit there.”

He got the red carpet treatment at N.C. State the week before, too. But Tennessee might be the biggest threat to pull the major upset in this recruitment, thanks in large part to the head coach.

“My dad will roll his eyes when we talk about it and joke that coach Barnes is my mom’s new boyfriend,” Howard added with a laugh.

The Michigan coach didn’t take anything for granted on the trip, showing the recruits (and his son) around himself. Jett admitted he hadn’t seen the entire campus yet, so he was excited to see it all — and he wasn’t disappointed.

“I loved it,” he said.

And when they got back to the basketball facilities, his father broke down film for him and showed him how he planned to use him in the offense if he got his commitment.

“They want me to play a combination of the one, two and three,” he said. “They showed me how I fit, where they saw me in different situations on the floor. I liked it.”

But he also got the ‘defense first’ speech all recruits get when they first arrive on campus for their visits. That’s going to be the program’s identity, and it was made clear.

In that area, Howard is still getting better. He felt he made a huge leap at the end of his sophomore year, but COVID didn’t allow him to show off his progress. This year, he became one of the biggest movers in the rankings after showing ability on that end as well as his all-around offensive game.

Once known as a spot-up shooter, he showed off his ability to get to the rim, pass, shoot the midrange jumper and show off his all-around basketball IQ. One scout said he would have been a perfect fit for a John Beilein-coached Michigan team, too … and Juwan Howard has already proven what he can do with such talent.

We expect this one to end well for the Wolverines.

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