U-M Pledges, Targets Make Moves In The New Rivals100 - Where Things Stand

Michigan Wolverines basketball coach Juwan Howard and his coaches continue to bring in elite talent. Several of their pledges and targets from the 2022 class moved up in the recent Rivals.com updated rankings ... here's an update, and where U-M stands with targets still on the list.

McDaniel moves up four spots from No. 75 after a solid summer, but there are 18 point guards ranked ahead of him in his class. He still needs to improve as a shooter and there are questions (and always will be) about his size, but he's an outstanding distributor and will be called upon to push the ball in an up-tempo offense.

“He’s going to be a very interesting one. He’s crafty as hell with the ball, super quick, got a competitive nature about him and all that stuff,” Rivals.com's Jamie Shaw said. “He’s just small.

“The shooting thing … I wouldn’t worry about that necessarily because he’s a fine shooter. He’s not going to be a scorcher at 42 percent, but he’ll shoot well enough that a defense has to respect him. With his ability to touch the paint and quickness and all that stuff … offensively, I think he’s going to be okay.”

A huge move for the Michigan pledge, up 45 spots from No. 90, after a summer in which he emerged as one of the better big men in his class. Reed chose the Wolverines over Purdue, Ohio State and Michigan State after an outstanding visit ... and after nearly committing to the Buckeyes.

Shaw saw him plenty this summer and saw a much more versatile offensive player than many expected.

“He’s really boosted his stock this summer, especially with the offensive presence he has,” he said. “He has great hands, a big strong frame … he’s got all that. He’s very skilled … skilled with the ball, can shoot it. I saw him making pick and pop threes, trail [on the break] threes and that type of stuff.”

Reed wants to play a year or two at U-M before moving on the NBA, and he expects Juwan Howard to help get him there. He's closer to 6-9 now than 6-8, per observers.

Out of respect for the now 6-7 small forward/shooting guard, we won't call Howard a 'lock' — he wants to be recruited, and he's planning on taking some visits — but we fully expect him to end up in Ann Arbor playing for his father (U-M head coach Juwan Howard, of course).

Howard moves up five spots from No. 40 after an outstanding summer. He was the best small forward at the NBA Players' Association Camp a few weeks back and does everything well on the court, no longer considered a spot shooter type.

“He’s a stud. He’s really good,” Shaw told us after seeing Howard at the recent NBAPA Top 100 camp. “He’s another one I’ll be pushing for a significant bump. I wish he’d shot it better, but he’s just one of those incredible role guys that fits in a ton of situations.”

ProInsight.com's Andrew Slater was also impressed with him, calling him the best player on a talented team.

“He was on a team that should have won more, but he was great,” Slater said. “He shot better from midrange than I anticipated … I didn’t think he shot as well from three as other camps — well, but just not as well as at EYBL."

LSU, Georgetown, Tennessee and others are on his list, and he'll take some visits. But again ... we expect him to be a Wolverine when it's all said and done.

The Wolverines are looking for one more big man or another elite shooter to round out a four-man class, and Udeh is one of the faster risers in his class in the former category. He moves up an incredible 86 spots to No. 29 and is now one of the most coveted recruits in the country.

Michigan recently made his top 10 with Alabama, Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Tennessee, UCLA, Miami and Baylor. He'll visit U-M this fall.

"The Florida native improved every time out this summer with Southeast Elite and during June with his Dr. Phillips (Fla.) team," Rivals.com's Dan McDonald said. "He’s a dominant force in the paint at 6-foot-10, with great athleticism, strong hands and soft touch around the rim.”

He wasn’t at his best at the NBA Players’ Association Top 100 Camp, but few were. Many were dragging after the long summer on the AAU circuit, and Udeh was among them.

“In the reps he had, he did what he does,” Rivals.com’s Jamie Shaw said. “He’s not doing anything outside of 10 feet, not switching ball screens and moving his feet, but he’s a good shot blocker, a good rebounder and finishes viciously around the rim.”

He’s also open between his final 10, ProInsight.com’s Andrew Slater said after speaking with people in the know. Given Juwan Howard's work with big men, it appears U-M will have a shot.

Smith falls four spots from No. 69, a cerebral shooter who knows the game inside and out and excels despite average athleticism. Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Stanford, Virginia, Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, Texas, Arkansas, and Michigan round out his top 10.

“For the most part it had to do with the relationships with the coaches and being recruited over a period of time, along with just the academic piece and the fit on the court and how they plan to use me in the offense and defense,” Smith said about trimming down is list.

He transferred from St. Mark's High in Dallas to Arizona prep power Compass Prep in the Phoenix area, where he'll continue to hone his game. He'll visit Arizona State Sept. 2, take a second trip to Vanderbilt Sept. 17 and see Michigan Sept. 24. Trips to Illinois, Stanford and Georgia Tech are also on the table.

Stanford was once thought to be a lock, but it appears he's a bit more open now. He's been on the Michigan campus twice for camps and loves the combination of academics and athletics.

We don't expect it, but we could see this one happening.

Now an elite prospect, Traore moves up from No. 69 and is a legit option for several elite schools and the professional route. He said he planned to take a visit to Ann Arbor this summer, and there was a buzz that Michigan was gaining traction.

We reported in an INSIDE THE FORT a few weeks back that the Wolverines appeared to be a long shot here, and we feel that way again after some short-lived optimism. He has yet to schedule a visit, and it could be hard to pin one down.

“That is the kid that still was going hard despite the long summer,” Slater said. “To me, he’s one where you go, ‘if we can get him, we’ve got to get it done.’ Maybe it’s because he’s a foreign kid [France] who didn’t get the attention in high school, whatever, but his motor was off the charts.”

Shaw believes he might be a top 10 guy when it’s all said and done.

“There is not much on the floor Traore cannot do,” he said. “Now, he still needs to continue to tighten it all up, but he has range on his jump shot, can score with his back to the basket, can slide his feet on defense, can attack the basket off the bounce …

“The 6-foot-9 forward showed glimpses of brilliance in this camp, and he competed, which was not always the case in this setting. When it comes to his NBA prospects, you wish he was a couple inches taller, but for college, this will not matter as much.”

He averaged 12.4 points and 3.8 rebounds on 57.4 percent shooting for the week.

Glenn fell 26 spots and doesn't have the options as some of the others on this list. His final top five includes Michigan, Iona, USF, Georgia and Virginia Tech, and he'll visit Ann Arbor Sept. 4 for the football opener against Western Michigan.

A longtime family friend of the Howards, Glenn probably wouldn't be getting consideration if he weren't. He was behind several other prospects on the board (strong opinion) only a month or so ago, in fact. But it's possible the jack-of-all-trades, master of none could join the class if U-M doesn't land another high profile 2022.

Dailey fell from No. 23, as expected. He doesn't do much during the summer. But for a kid whose people seem to want to play overseas ... is that a real possibility?

U-M has ties and an 'in' here given Dailey plays with Jett Howard, but it's really tough to get a read on his next move, or how the Wolverines see him in their potential plans. We do know he likes Michigan.

“I’ve known Coach Howard for a while now,” Dailey said in June, at which point he mentioned being recruited by Virginia Tech, Dayton, Miami and 'a little bit of Florida.' “I’ve actually known Jett since elementary school. That connection right there is pretty good. Coach Howard is a good coach, and he’s been where I’m trying to go. That’s a plus. He’s like family. We talk more about life lessons. He actually cares about me as a person.”

While Dailey is listed as a power forward, Howard has talked to him about playing more of a wing role in his NBA-style offense.

“He said I would play wing,” Dailey said. “He said I would be able to play freely, push the ball up the floor and come off pick and rolls. He would let me play my game within the offense, which is something I want to do.”

Rodgers moves up 16 spots after a solid summer. His energy on the court is one thing that stands out, but he's not much of a shooter. U-M has other options and players in the fold at his position, and it seems as if the Wolverines have backed off.

Michigan State, once down on his list, and UConn were two of the schools on him hardest this summer. Houston is also on his list.

"Rogers comes equipped with a good motor and notable athleticism, but he’s a hard-nosed, willing rebounder as well," Rivals.com's Rob Cassidy said in calling him 'underrated' at the Peach Jam. "In Saturday’s semifinal, he showcased his full range of skill taking defenders off the dribble bounce to the tune of 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting and grabbed 12 boards in a semifinal loss. Rogers has had an impressive summer and deserves a bump in ranking."

He got it ... but it's unlikely he ends up in Ann Arbor.

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