It’s starting to get fun to follow Michigan basketball recruiting again, which isn’t something we could really say the last couple of years.
There were a lot of challenges and Juwan Howard just wasn’t able to overcome them. Howard is still a Michigan man though. Dusty May even revealed that Juwan reached out to offer his support. Jace Howard is playing for Michigan this season and I think that’s a good thing.
I’m glad Juwan is coaching in the NBA again and hope he gets to be a head coach again. But, back to May and the 2025 class. There aren’t any commitments yet or anything that feels close. But Michigan is trending up for elite point guard Darius Acuff and included U-M in his top four on Friday.
Where Michigan basketball stands with Darius Acuff
The other finalists are some of the heaviest hitters in college basketball right now. Arkansas might not have that reputation but John Calipari has changed that quickly.
Kansas is also in the mix and they are probably the favorite in this recruitment, although don’t count out UConn either — the two-time defending national champions.
Here’s what Acuff told Joe Tipton about Michigan:
“It felt like home there. Coach (Juwan) Howard is my dog. He is like a lost uncle. It was sad to see him leave, but they have a great coach there now. One of the first things Coach (Dusty) May said to me when he called was, ‘We hoop over here.’ It was a great conversation we had, he is a good guy, a basketball head for sure. He is trying to get the program back to its winning way and bring what he built at FAU to Michigan.”
Acuff has visited Arkansas and Kansas. He visited Michigan but that’s when Juwan was the head coach. Dusty May has U-M in the mix. Acuff is from Detroit but is playing for IMG. The 5-star point guard is ranked No. 1 at his position in the 2025 class and seventh overall according to the On3 Industry rankings.
Kansas is the leader according to the On3 prediction machine. Arkansas is running second. A visit could be key for Michigan basketball. None are scheduled as of now but that has to be the next objective for May. Otherwise, it’s hard to see the Wolverines landing Acuff’s commitment.
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