2017 Four-Star Power Forward Isaiah Livers Commits To The Michigan Wolverines

Haters rejoice! Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein beat out Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo in a recruiting battle. The Wolverines 2017 class is rapidly growing after gaining their second commitment in the last two weeks and third commitment overall. Kalamazoo Central forward Isaiah Livers announced via twitter he will be attending the University of Michigan.

Behind the flurry of emojis, Livers' tweet confirmed his commitment and secured a recruiting victory for the Wolverines over the Spartans. Considered the second best player in the state of Michigan by 247Sports, Livers had offers from the Spartans as well as the University of Detroit, Oakland University and Creighton among others.

Listed at 6'8" Livers should be slated as a stretch four. His physical play profiles well as a forward but a lack of post moves and ability to score inside will limit his ability to play the five in college.

His highlight tape is littered with perimeter buckets off a pass and pick-and-pop jumpers. Livers is athletic enough to defend on the wing but his ball handling will need to improve if he wants to stick there. He is an aggressive rebounder, averaging 14 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Kalamazoo Gazette Dream Team last season.

According to Brendan Quinn of MLive, Beilein first contacted Livers in May. At the time, Beilein had only one assistant coach. The recruiting really took off when Beilein hired former Oakland assistant Saddi Washington who was a main recruiter of Livers previously. Livers took an unofficial visit to Michigan in late June.

The Wolverines now have three players committed to their incoming 2017 class. Wisconsin guard Jordan Poole has been committed to the school for a long time and could find himself fighting for reserve minutes during his freshman year.

The Wolverines other commitment is much more fresh, coming only a few weeks ago from Pennsylvania guard Eli Brooks. Beilein has one scholarship to work with before his 2017 roster is full. Livers commitment could strip up how the last roster spot is looked at however, as the Wolverines were in the mix for many forwards.

Recently Michigan has been linked to wing prospects such as Kris Wilkes, Anthony Gaines and Justin Smith. Some of these recruits may be a pipe dream of the Wolverines but another wing would boost the depth on the Wolverines roster. Notably, Livers commitment is also the first for John Beilein under the new Jordan Brand apparel contract which became effective on August 1.

Livers is no small get for Beilein and the Wolverines. Although the state of Michigan is not littered with five-star prospects for 2017, it is important for the Wolverines to recruit well in their own back yard. Wolverines fans should keep close tabs on Livers upcoming senior season.