U-M Finishes With The No. 1 Class, Has Officially Won 'Recruiting Title'
Rivals.com updated its class of 2021 basketball prospect rankings for the final time today, and the Michigan Wolverines' basketball program received some outstanding news.
All six of head coach Juwan Howard's signees either stayed the same or moved up in the rankings, with nobody making a more notable jump than Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy power forward Moussa Diabate.
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Diabate had been rated as the top four-star in the nation and the No. 26 overall player, but moved up four spots to No. 22 and is now tabbed as a five-star prospect. Along with Montverde (Fla.) Academy small forward Caleb Houstan, Michigan now has two five-star prospects in one class for the first time since Rivals.com began ranking its players back in 2003.
Houstan and Diabate are also just the fourth and fifth five-star players Michigan has signed since former head man John Beilein took over in 2007-08, joining small forward Glenn Robinson III in 2012, shooting guard Zak Irvin in 2013 and small forward Ignas Brazdeikis in 2018.
Houstan, meanwhile, made a minimal leap from the No. 8 player nationally to No. 6, while Grand Rapids (Mich.) Christian four-star shooting guard Kobe Bufkin made a similarly small jump from No. 49 overall to No. 48.
Chicago Simeon four-star shooting guard Isaiah Barnes stayed put at No. 102, while Stewartville (Minn.) High power forward Will Tschetter jumped six spots to No. 127, but nevertheless remained a three-star.
The U-M signee who actually made the biggest numerical leap of all was Henderson (Nev.) Coronado four-star point guard Frankie Collins, skyrocketing 18 spots from No. 67 in the country to No. 49.
With the 2021 Rivals.com player rankings now completed, the outlet has declared that Michigan has officially won its mythical "recruiting title" for this cycle. There are still several elite prospects who remain uncommitted, but regardless of what they do, Michigan's class is apparently too good to be knocked from the top spot.
"Everything's coming up Michigan these days, as Juwan Howard has capped off a season that saw him lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and the Elite Eight with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country," Rivals.com Director of Basketball Recruiting Rob Cassidy wrote.
"Momentum tends to compound in college sports, as top players are attracted to success, which means Howard may only just be getting started in Ann Arbor. The way prospects talk about the third-year head coach makes it obvious that he’s capable of building a juggernaut on the recruiting trail.
"The Wolverines six-member class includes five-star forwards Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan along with four-stars Frankie Collins, Kobe Bufkin and Isaiah Barnes. Three-star signee Will Tschetter checks in at No. 127 in the Rivals150 after moving up six spots in the update.
"Howard’s revitalization of the schools recruiting doesn’t seem to be fading, either, as he and his staff are involved with a long list of major prospects in 2022."
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