Everything we know about Michigan basketball 2021 early signing period

Follow along with Maize n Brew all week long as we go through the 2021 early signing period for Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball.

Afternoon update

There does not seem to be any drama brewing with this recruiting class in terms of all six letters of intent coming in. Diabate and Houstan are signed, Tschetter is in and Frankie Collins and Kobe Bufkin are expected to sign later this afternoon. Isaiah Barnes will sign on Friday. This class is all but officially locked in.

10:30 a.m.

The Michigan Insider’s Josh Henschke confirmed Michigan has received letters of intent from both of its five-stars in the class, Moussa Diabate and Caleb Houstan.

Diabate was the latest addition to the 2021 class for the Wolverines, committing in shocking fashion on Monday. He is listed as a power forward, but is able to play the four or five.

He is listed at 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds. He plays prep ball at IMG Academy, but is originally from France. Diabate is the No. 20 overall player in the class.

Jerry Meyer from 247Sports compares Diabate to Gani Lawal of Georgia Tech, saying, “Long arms at 6-9. Energetic athlete who plays with aggression and a competitive edge. Thrives on contact and has an unorthodox style that is physically intimidating. High level rebounder who goes out of his area to pursue the ball. Very limited shooting range. Not uncomfortable with the ball but not a playmaker. A versatile and adept defender. Quality shot blocker. Has great potential as a high energy defender, rebounder type.”

Meanwhile, Houstan announced his verbal pledge on Oct. 30. He is listed at 6-foot-8 and 205 pounds. Coming in as the No. 8 overall player in the class, Houstan is the highest ranked recruit to commit in Michigan basketball’s history.

Houstan reclassified from the class of 2022, so he will be a bit on the younger side when he reaches college, but where he lacks in age, he makes up for in talent. Meyer compares Houstan to Marcus Morris, saying, “Has good size as a combo forward with shooting range. Not overly athletic, but plays with strength and has body control. Dangerous three-point shooter. Finishes well inside the arc. Is composed with the basketball. Solid handler and passer. Strong rebounder. Comes up with points off the glass. Positional defender with versatility defensively.”

It is absolutely huge Michigan was able to get both of its five-star players to sign during this early period. Houstan and Diabate are program-changing players that will likely be significant role players from the second they step on campus, so this is huge news for Howard and the program.

10 a.m.

The early signing period kicked off for the college basketball class of 2021 on Wednesday, and Michigan’s fax machine was busy early thanks to three-star forward Will Tschetter, who signed his letter of intent this morning.

Tschetter is one of the longer tenured players in Michigan’s class, having committed back on July 6. He is a 6-foot-8, 225-pounder from Stewartville, Minnesota. He comes in as the No. 155 overall player on 247Sports’ composite.

He averaged 33.6 points and 11 rebounds per game last year as a junior. He converted 60 percent of his field goals, 45 percent of his 3-pointers and 84 percent of his free throws, according to his Hudl. To go along with his on-court success, he also is strong academically with a 3.99 GPA.

Juwan Howard and the Wolverines still hold the No. 1 class in the country, with other commitments from five-star forward Caleb Houstan, five-star forward Moussa Diabate, four-star guard Kobe Bufkin, four-star guard Frankie Collins and four-star wing Isaiah Barnes.

It isn’t known how many more Michigan commits are planning to sign during the early signing period, which runs through Nov. 18. Keep your eyes peeled on the site for more coverage for the early signing period.