Top-50 recruit Jett Howard, Juwan's youngest son, commits to Michigan

Another Howard is Ann Arbor-bound.

On Wednesday, top-50 recruit Jett Howard announced his commitment to Michigan, where he’ll play for his father, Juwan, and alongside his older brother Jace.

Despite the familial connection, Jett Howard took his time going through the recruitment process. He took official visits Georgetown, Michigan, N.C. State and Tennessee over the past month. Those four schools were among his seven finalists, along with Florida, LSU and Vanderbilt.

While Howard was a presumed Michigan lock for quite some time, he said he was leaning toward taking a different path at one point.

"Honestly, starting Monday I was going to go to Tennessee,” Howard said in an Instagram Live interview with ESPN’s Paul Biancardi. “Then I sat down with my dad and had a heart-to-heart moment and he told me everything really that I needed to hear. He told me he trusted me and all the things he needs from me, and I trust him.”

After weighing the pros and cons of each school — “From the coaching, the environment, the players that want to play with you,” Howard explained — he chose to become the third member of his immediate family to play for the Wolverines and reunite with some former teammates. As a sophomore, Jett played with Jace at the University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before transferring to IMG Academy, where he played with Michigan freshman Moussa Diabate.

When Howard informed his parents that he was going to “keep it in the family,” the decision was met with obvious excitement.

“I called my dad and … he was going around the office in front of everybody, 'My son just committed to me,’” Howard said. "He started screaming. He was like, ‘Let’s go,’ and then started pounding his chest and stuff like that. He was happy. It was a good moment.”

Howard, a 6-foot-7 wing, averaged 10.5 points and shot 41% from 3-point range last season while helping IMG Academy reach the GEICO Nationals semifinals. He’s a four-star prospect and is ranked the No. 37 overall recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite.

Howard, who is regarded as a strong shooter and playmaker, described himself as an unselfish and versatile player who can play the one through three positions. He added he’s striving to improve on his defense, using his left hand and the “little things” like communication during his senior year.

“He (Juwan) knows my game better than anybody else, so I kind of broke that down and obviously he knows things I need to improve,” Howard said. “That's what's most important."

Howard is the third player to commit to the Wolverines in nine days, following four-star forward Gregg Glenn and 2024 pledge Christian Anderson Jr., and the fourth member of his father's recruiting class that ranks No. 3 in the nation. He joins four-star big man Tarris Reed (No. 39 overall recruit), four-star guard Dug McDaniel (No. 61) and Glenn (No. 108).

Howard’s addition puts Michigan over the allotted 13-scholarship limit for the 2022-23 season, but that’s not taking into account any potential roster attrition, like offseason transfers or early NBA departures.

jhawkins@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @jamesbhawkins