PG target Angelo Brizzi commits elsewhere: Where Michigan may turn next in 2021

Class of 2021 point guard prospect made his college decision on Monday evening, electing to stay on the East coast and attend Villanova. Michigan was considered one of the finalists for his services prior to the announcement.

Brizzi is a four-star prospect and the No. 118 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. His commitment to Villanova does not come as a huge surprise, as several Crystal Ball picks came in from insiders leading up to his announcement that he was bound for head coach Jay Wright’s program.

Michigan was in on Brizzi thanks to the efforts of assistant coach Phil Martelli. The Wolverines will continue to work hard on the trail with a ball-handling guard as one of the team’s top needs in the 2021 cycle after commitments from a pair of wings (Isaiah Barnes, Kobe Bufkin) and a forward (Will Tschetter).

Martelli’s efforts now may be a part of a full-court press on Jalen Warley, a five-star recruit out of Norristown, Pennsylvania. The two have a relationship and it is one that Juwan Howard and the Wolverines will look to build on in an effort to secure his services, though Warley does appear open to going the G-League route.

Another option at the point is Jaden Akins out of Farmington, Michigan, though many believe he is eventually heading to Michigan State. Michigan will continue to push there as well with the pitch being the combination of he and Bufkin playing together. Things have been quiet on that front, but Michigan closing the deal on Bufkin came together quickly, so perhaps Akins might be a prospect that has things play out similarly.

Warley and Akins stick out as the two targets to watch for now, but it would not be a surprise to see the board expand soon at the position. Most of Michigan’s offers in this cycle have gone out to wing players and forwards, so an expansion at point guard feels like a possibility here soon. Four-star Carter Whitt has been mentioned as a possibility, though he does not currently have a reported offer from Michigan.