In one of the wackiest recruitments in some time now, Xavier Simpson, a 6-foot guard out of Lima, Ohio, made a verbal commitment to Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. The floor general was set to decide between Iowa State, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Miami, however things changed swiftly and the Wolverines jumped right into the picture and stole the lead guard from their neighbors of the south.

Running with the King James crew this past summer on the Nike circuit, Simpson filled up the stat sheet in a number of ways. He averaged over 15 points while shooting nearly 50-percent from the floor, while also tabulating close to five rebounds and five assists. Throw in his near two steals per game and what Michigan received on Wednesday is an effective point guard who can contribute on both sides of the ball.

The recruitment of the Ohio native has been all over the place of late. There was never a clear front runner for his services for longer than two months at a time and in a matter of two days, many went from believing Simpson would end up at Illinois, then to Wisconsin, and out of nowhere, pop for John Beilein’s program.

The need for a guy like Simpson at Michigan, or better yet, anywhere in the college realm, is easily evident. The Big 10 program will lose back-up but serviceable lead guard Spike Albrecht after this season, while star lead guard Derrick Walton enters his final season in Ann Arbor. If Walton is still around, Simpson will be able to grow into his role nicely within the Big 10 program before taking over the reins at the point guard spot during the 2017-2018 season.

Regardless of what the situation is like come next year within the Big 10 program, expect for Simpson to bring his variety of contributing skills to the backcourt and produce due to his grit, feel for the game, and confidence with the ball as an effective facilitator within the half-court setting.