Photo Credit: Jeff Woo/DentonRC

Coming to Crisler: 2019 SF Jalen Wilson Commits to Michigan

Posted onAuthorGarrett Fishaw

After another NCAA tournament run to remember, the Michigan basketball coaching staff didn’t waste long to cash in on the momentum around the program. John Beilein has added one of the best players in the 2019 class and one of the best recruits of his tenure as top40 Guyer (TX) SF Jalen Wilson has committed to Michigan.

Commitment

Scouting Report 

Wilson is a prototypical wing player in Beilein’s system. He has height, length, explosiveness, and range from the outside. He shows his ability to slash to the hoop but can also knock it down from outside the arc with a pretty jumper. His frame is solid but could add more size to be able to bang down low. Whether Charles Matthews goes to the NBA this year or next, Wilson could be the perfect replacement.

Recruitment

As a top 100 recruit, Wilson was a wanted player out of the Longhorn state. Receiving offers from most of the Big 12, including the likes of Baylor and Kansas, some would think he was likely to stay in-state for his collegiate ball. However, it was Marquette that was the Crystal Ball favorite here for quite some time.

But then Michigan and John Beilein got heavily involved. Analysts started to hear more and more good things about the connection between both parties, with Crystal Ball predictions starting to come in for and switch to the Wolverines. That was before he’d ever visited Ann Arbor or even held an offer from the staff.

Once he visited Ann Arbor in mid-May, it looked like a foregone conclusion that the four-star wing was going to end up in the Maize and Blue. And he ended up following through with that conclusion with his commitment to Michigan at the end of May, becoming the first commitment of the staff’s 2019 recruiting class.

  • Height: 6’6”
  • Weight: 185lbs
  • Hometown (School): Denton, TX (Guyer)
  • Notable Offers: Baylor, Kansas, UCLA, Oklahoma, Marquette
  • Rankings: Rivals (4*, #39 overall) – 247Sports (4*, #29 overall) – ESPN (N/A)
  • Composite Ranking: Four-star, #34 Overall, #8 Small Forward, #3 in Texas

Highlights

As for the Rest of the Class

Wilson is the first commitment of what is expected to be a small class. There are only supposed to be 2-3 spots available thanks to the 5-person 2018 class and undetermined future attrition. But that doesn’t mean this won’t be a great class. Wilson is a borderline five-star talent and the staff looks likely to add at least one of top30 PG DJ Carton and/or top100 CG Joseph Girard.

Michigan also looks to be in good position for in-state standout SG Rocket Watts and top10 PF Jaden McDaniels.

Photo Credit: Jeff Woo/DentonRC

Garrett Fishaw
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