Michigan Wolverines news: Decision date for Jacob Smith, Jose Perez to visit, and more

Some good news should be coming for Michigan football, the latest on Jose Perez, and more in our Michigan Wolverines news roundup. 

Michigan football could use a jolt of momentum on the recruiting trail and there’s a good chance that the Wolverines will get one this week.

Four-star EDGE Jacob Smith is set to announce his commitment on Thursday, July 13th, and right now, all signs are pointing to Michigan fooball being the selection.

The Michigan Wolverines hosted Smith for a couple of visits in June. He took his official visit and was also able to visit with his brother Jerod Smith, a four-star D-line commitment in the 2024 class.

Nebraska is a team to watch. It feels like Michigan football and Nebraska are alone in the final two. Matt Rhule and the Huskers definitely made some headway when they hosted Smith for a visit, but there hasn’t been much buzz from Nebraska insiders.

Smith has just two crystal ball projections for Michigan football. EJ Holland of The Wolverine projects Smith to the Michigan Wolverines, who also have a better than 94-percent chance to win Smith’s commitment via the On3 prediction machine.

The four-star recruit out of Connecticut is 6-foot-4, 230 pounds and he’s ranked No. 211 overall via the 247 Sports composite rankings. It would also be the Michigan Wolverines’ fourth four-star EDGE commitment in the 2024 class.

Nothing is ever 100 percent certain in recruiting, but it feels like Michigan.

Jose Perez to officially visit Michigan Wolverines

We have been waiting for news on Jose Perez and Trilly Donovan reported on Tuesday that Michigan basketball will host Perez for a three-day official visit July 28-30.

This is the first possible date that Perez could take a visit to any program, so the fact that he’s choosing to visit Michigan basketball is a good sign.

However, the Michigan Wolverines haven’t landed his commitment yet. Gonzaga is still in the mix, along with Oregon and Cal. Xavier has also joined the mix too.

You wonder how NIL will factor into this recruitment. West Virginia is also working to bring back Perez who is 6-foot-5 and averaged 18.9 points per game for Manhattan back in 2021-22. He also averaged 4.5 assists and has 332 for his career along with 113 3-pointers.

Perez has a career usage rate of 28.8. It was 33 percent during his last season (he sat out due to his transfer to West Virginia in 2022-23).

I doubt his usage rate would be that high for Michigan basketball, but the Michigan Wolverines need a high-usage guard after losing Caleb Love, and also a secondary playmaker.

Perez fits both needs, which is why the Wolverines need to seal the deal on the official visit.

5-star center in 2024 has Michigan Wolverines in top eight

In terms of the 2024 recruiting class, Michigan baskeball has a couple of guard commitments right now. On Tuesday, the Wolverines made the top eight for five-star  Patrick Ngongba.

Ngongba is 6-foot-11 and has become one of the fastest-rising prospects in the 2024 class. It’s great to make the top eight, but Michigan basketball hasn’t hosted Ngongba while Duke, UConn, Kansas State, and Providence have.

You never want to count out Juwan Howard in the recruitment of a big man. He’s proven he can develop players at that position.

Getting Ngongba for an official visit at some point in the next few months would be huge. It sounds like a decision will come sometime later in the fall but the Wolverines need to get him on campus for an official visit to feel like a contender.