Michigan Wolverines news: Top target releases top 3, NBA combine invites, and more

Two Michigan basketball players got invited to the NBA combine, Michigan football makes the top 3 for an elite 2024 linebacker, and more Michigan Wolverines news.

We know that Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard aren’t going to return to Michigan basketball next season, but there was more confirmation on Tuesday night as both former Michigan Wolverines were selected to participate in the NBA draft combine.

This is significant because only the top players are selected to compete in the combine and they are viewed as the ones most likely to get drafted. Bufkin and Howard have both received first-round projections and there is talk that Bufkin could be a lottery pick, which makes the fact that Michigan basketball missed the NCAA tournament even more upsetting.

There is more news with the NBA combine invites that could concern Michigan basketball though. Transfer portal target Olivier Nkamhoua wasn’t invited to the combine. He could still earn an invite with strong play at the G-League camp, but that definitely hurts his chances of being drafted.

Michigan basketball has been pursuing hard in the portal, but his preference is playing pro ball. However, if he’s not projected to get drafted, Michigan basketball could become a more attractive option, especially with Juwan Howard’s history of elevating players’ draft stock.

Michigan football makes top three for top target in 2024

There’s no doubt that in terms of top priorities for Michigan football in the 2024 recruiting class, linebacker Aaron Chiles is among them and he included the Michigan Wolverines in his top three on Tuesday. Maryland and Florida were the other teams that made the cut.

Chiles is an elite linebacker. He’s 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and is ranked as the No. 75 overall prospect in the 2024 class via the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s got four crystal ball projections for Michigan football already, so the Michigan Wolverines appear to be the favorite.

New linebackers coach Chris Partridge has been pivotal in this recruitment and Michigan football really took command shortly after he was hired. The uber-productive linebacker had 74 tackles during 2022 with 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

Honestly, Chiles reminds me a lot of Junior Colson. Colson also had double-digit sacks in high school, as well as playing wide receiver at one time. Chiles is quick, can blitz off the edge, but can also play inside, which is where I think he’d play for Michigan football.

Chiles is set for an official visit in June and hopefully, Michigan football can land a commitment soon after.

More Michigan Wolverines news

• The Michigan softball team opens the Big Ten tournament in Champaign, Illinois against Penn State this afternoon. The Michigan Wolverines are the No. 10 seed after posting a 10-10 record during conference play. The first pitch goes out at 12:30 PM EST on Big Ten Network.
• In other notable Michigan football news, Jim Harbaugh made headlines by declaring how much he loves to mow his lawn. Essentially, he said if he wasn’t coaching the Wolverines or football, he would working in landscaping. You can’t make this up.
• Lastly, Duncan Robinson and Jordan Poole, two former Michigan basketball standouts, will be taking part in the NBA playoffs tonight in Game 5s. The Heat and Robinson look to close out another upset by knocking out the New York Knights (7:30 PM EST), while Golden State tries to stave off elimination against Lebron and the Lakers (10 PM EST).