bryce aiken

Jace Howard to Walk On

The first bit of major roster news to break last night was TMI's Josh Henschke reporting that Jace Howard will join the program as a walk-on. This isn't a major surprise—his dad is the head coach and once signed the then-biggest contract in NBA history—and it opens up a scholarship while Michigan pursues Josh Christopher and grad transfers.

That news got superceded in the witching hour, however.

Colin Castleton Enters Transfer Portal

Castleton had a hard time getting off the bench as the season went on [Campredon]

Michigan's offseason approach foreshadowed unexpected attrition and that describes Colin Castleton's decision to put his name in the transfer portal, news that broke after midnight. Castleton's departure leaves two traditional centers, redshirt senior Austin Davis and blue chip freshman Hunter Dickinson, on scholarship for next year's team.

Castleton's transfer didn't come entirely out of left field. After beginning last season as Jon Teske's primary backup, Castleton fell behind Davis not long after Michigan's early-season schedule got difficult; the skinny sophomore needed another year before he'd be ready to match up with the bigger and stronger competition. Relegated to garbage time and the occasional two-big lineup, he cracked double-digit minutes only once after the calendar flipped to 2020, and that came in a Rutgers game Isaiah Livers missed to injury.

While our maxim of never giving up on big men applies to Castleton, between the declining minutes, playing for a coach that didn't recruit him, Davis's return for a redshirt senior year, and the addition of Dickinson, it's understandable why he'd seek another opportunity.

While Castleton's departure leaves Michigan with two true bigs, they have plenty of flexibility with the current projected roster. Brandon Johns ended up playing more at center than Castleton by the end of the season and should only be better suited for that role with another season of experience. Isaiah Livers, should he take his name out of the draft, played a little small-ball center under Beilein. Incoming freshman Isaiah Todd, should he remain in the class, has the potential to be a switchable nightmare against certain lineups.

Castleton never seemed to mesh with what Juwan Howard wanted out of his center. I still like Castleton's talent but it makes sense that he'd look to utilize it in another system. Michigan, meanwhile, should be able to absorb the hit if they don't have too many more departures, and we'll see if Castleton's exit spurs them to look at a grad transfer big man.

[Hit THE JUMP for the current scholarship situation and the potential roster developments.]

Ah. So. Here we are.

None of us (stares in Brian's direction) really wanted next year to be here so fast, but we're suddenly in the offseason, so it's time to take a broad view of Michigan's roster.

The Scholarship Chart

As things currently stand, Michigan is one spot over the 13 scholarship limit for 2020-21, though that spot could easily be opened up by Jace Howard starting his career as a preferred walk-on.

We know for sure that Austin Davis will be back after Juwan Howard made it public he wanted the backup center on the team for his fifth year. Davis didn't go through Senior Day ceremonies. He's not going anywhere and is slated to at least reprise his role as a valuable player off the bench at the position with the most uncertainty heading into next season.

The roster isn't set, of course. It'd be an unusual offseason indeed without any attrition, particularly with so many players on the roster who committed to a head coach who's no longer here. In fact, with assistant Saddi Washington emerging as a leading candidate to replace fired Western Michigan head coach Steve Hawkins, there may soon be no more holdovers on the coaching staff from John Beilein's tenure.

You may also have heard that Howard is still recruiting a couple high-profile 2020 prospects. Let's take a look at where Michigan stands with some five-star talent.

[Hit THE JUMP]

Lesson Learned

After Tyus Battle took the last available scholarship in the 2016 class only to decommit and cause Michigan to lose out on fellow five-star wing Josh Langford, it looked like John Beilein's strict adherence to not oversigning—even in the attrition-heavy environment of major conference college hoops—cost Michigan their shot at an elite wing, especially after they accepted the commitment of three-star Ibi Watson last week.

Sam Webb hinted in the wake of Watson commitment that was not, in fact, the case. When Webb broke the news that five-star wing Miles Bridges, a Flint native who plays for Huntington (WV) Prep, would visit on Monday, the picture became clear: Michigan is changing their recruiting tack and they're not done recruiting wings.

Michigan had been the only school in Bridges' top five not to offer him, since he hadn't taken a visit to Ann Arbor yet. That changed following Monday's visit, according to Webb. While Kentucky and Michigan State are the favorites to land Bridges, there's reason for optimism. Bridges is AAU teammates with top point guard target Cassius Winston, and they've mentioned a desire to play together in college. [Insert caveat about package deals here.]

This is a significant shift for Michigan, as it'd mark a change in Beilein's willingness to project attrition when recruiting. The Wolverines need a point guard in this class; it's expected commit Austin Davis will take a prep year and reclassify to 2017 to make room for one. There isn't an obvious way to make room for one more, but Beilein isn't exactly at risk of going Full Crean (never go Full Crean); with the logjam at the three and the four, plus the potential for a Zak Irvin breakout year, it'd be a surprise if every eligible member of this year's team was back in 2016-17.

It's a lesson learned the hard way, but it looks like Beilein took note of what happened with Battle and is making the requisite adjustments to his recruiting strategy.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]