Michigan Basketball: 5-star recruit Jalen Warley projected to Wolverines

The recruiting battle for Jalen Warley seems to be heating up as Michigan basketball got an expert prediction for one of its top targets in 2021.

When it comes to Michigan basketball and its 2021 recruiting class, there probably isn’t a more important target than four-star point guard Jalen Warley.

Sure, Warley isn’t the only five-star prospect that Michigan basketball is after and the Wolverines are in strong position with five-star big man Efton Reid.

However, as much as Michigan needs a big who can protect the rim, the biggest need that must be filled in the 2021 class is at point guard and that’s where Warley comes in.

And on Tuesday night, Michigan basketball fans got some much-needed good news in this recruitment as Rivals expert Corey Evans placed a Futurecast pick predicting Warley to the Wolverines.

It’s interesting because fellow Rivals recruiting expert Eric Bossi put in a projection for Virginia last week, meaning two of the top experts at Rivals have disagreements on Warley and where he will end up, which is sort of unusual.

When guys start trending with Futurecasts or crystal balls from 247, which Warley has none right now, it normally goes in the direction of one school. So to have Evans drop an opposite pick just 11 days after Bossi tells me either something changed or this is just a really tight recruiting battle.

What’s even more interesting is that five days ago, when Evans ranked the contenders for Warley, he listed Virginia as the No. 1 contender and Michigan basketball at No. 2. So again, what changed in the past few days to sway him?

Here’s what Evans wrote then about Michigan’s chances then:

"“The ace up the sleeve is assistant coach Phil Martelli, the former St. Joe’s head coach that tutored Warley’s father and uncle during their own playing days on Hawk Hill. Could Martelli  pull Warley out of his old stomping grounds and bring him to Ann Arbor? There is a chance, which is why Michigan is Virginia’s greatest competitor for Warley at the moment.”"

Warley is 6-foot-4 and according to the 247 sports composite rankings, he’s the 23rd ranked player in the 2021 class. On Rivals, Warley is ranked as the No. 21 player in the class and the fourth-ranked point guard.

In terms of the recruiting board for Juwan Howard and company in 2021, Warley has to be near the top. His recruitment is very winnable, just like Reid’s and at the very least, it’s safe to say the Wolverines are trending in the right direciton.