The Michigan men's basketball team just announced that they had officially signed four-star small forward Lincoln Cosby, the No. 38 overall prospect in the class of 2026 and the No. 7 recruit out of Florida.
However, just moments after the announcement was released, reports came out that Cosby wouldn't actually play for the Wolverines this season.
Cosby tore his ACL last year and received surgery for it in December, but he has already agreed with Michigan head coach Dusty May and the rest of the team's staff to redshirt his true-freshman season to continue rehabbing his knee.
So, while Cosby will join the Wolverines this summer, he won't see any in-game action until his true-sophomore (redshirt-freshman) season in 2027.
Lincoln Cosby to utilize redshirt for 2026-27 season
While it's never ideal to have a player enter a program with a pre-existing injury, it will work out perfectly well for Cosby to sit for a season to ensure that he is at full health when he finally does suit up for Michigan.
It has been confirmed per the press release that PF Lincoln Cosby will redshirt the 2026-27 season while recovering from ACL surgery at #Michigan https://t.co/vb6gx0FXxH
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) April 28, 2026
Not to mention the fact that Cosby is one of six commits in May's class of 2026, alongside five-star point guard Brandon McCoy Jr., four-star power forward Quinn Costello, and a handful of other blue-chip recruits.
Additionally, despite declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft, there is still the possibility that stars (who are now defending National Champions) like Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. return for next season, sending the true-freshman further down the depth chart.
May also picked up three four-star prospects from the transfer portal to shore up his defenses ahead of their title-defending season: center Moustapha Thiam from Cincinnati, power forward Jalen Reed from LSU, and power forward J.P. Estrella from Tennessee.
So, while it's unfortunate that Cosby won't be able to play for the Wolverines this year, the Michigan men's basketball team is going to be just fine in the coming season.
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