Isaiah Todd becomes first five-star recruit to commit to Juwan Howard's Michigan
The Juwan Howard era at Michigan is off to a strong start, as the first-year head coach landed his first five-star recruit fewer than five months after his hire.
Raleigh native and No. 10 overall prospect Isaiah Todd committed to the Michigan Wolverines on his Instagram account Thursday night a week after making a visit to Ann Arbor. He is the Wolverines’ highest recruit in the history of Rivals recruiting and their first five-star recruit since Glenn Robinson III in 2012.
Todd, a 6-foot-10 power forward, joins No. 58 overall prospect, point guard Zeb Jackson, in an impressive 2020 haul. Even with just two prospects, Michigan already has the No. 8-ranked recruiting class, according to Rivals, while still having offers out for fellow five-stars Jalen Suggs, Jaden Springer and Nimari Burnett.
Howard’s mold-breaking background as an NBA assistant with no college experience played a big role in Todd’s recruitment and should bode well for Michigan’s future.
“The new coaching staff with Juwan Howard, him being a former coach and player in the NBA, that was obviously appealing," Todd said, via Rivals. "The guys and the team there, they treated me great and they love Juwan and you feel that they are a family there. That visit just changed my whole view of Michigan.”
Todd has great athleticism and ball-handling skills for his size and is a capable shooter. He's still lean and could use refinement in the post, but Howard — who spent 19 seasons playing in the NBA — could be the perfect mentor.
Todd chose Michigan over Kansas but was also considering skipping college altogether to play overseas. He could be one of the last high school prospects who does not have the option to skip straight to the NBA, but those top recruits are exactly the type of players who might see themselves in Howard and be a key to maintaining Michigan's status as a national power after John Beilein’s departure to the NBA.
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