5-Star PF Khani Rooths Commits to Juwan Howard, Michigan over Georgia, FSU

Khani Rooths, a 5-star power forward in the Class of 2024, told Joe Tipton of On3.com that he was committing to the Michigan Wolverines.

He offered the following reasoning behind his decision:

"I chose Michigan because it was a place where I felt I could grow as a man, not only a basketball player. I'll be in the hands of men who will keep me accountable. Not just only on the coaching staff, but I also met people that work with the basketball players too and they help you be professionals off the court. I had never experienced that before."

"(Michigan) is also a place where it would get me to where I needed to be, going to the next level. Coach Juwan (Howard) says all his players say he's another father figure to them and I see that. My mom saw it also and I felt it was the perfect place for me."

Rooths is considered the No. 25 overall player in the Class of 2024, the No. 5 power forward and the No. 5 player from the state of Florida, per 247Sports' Composite Rankings.

Michigan previously had a pair of 3-star recruits at point guard—Christian Anderson and Durral Brooks—committed in the Class of 2024. Rooths immediately becomes the headliner.

As ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted, he's Michigan's highest-ranked commit since 2021. Borzello and Paul Biancardi added that Rooths "brings a lot of versatility, contributing as a finisher, defender and scorer. He plays both inside and out with effectiveness."

Rooths also cited his versatility as his key attribute.

"I would say I have a do-it-all type of game," he told Tipton. "I'm a mismatch player. I can do it on the post, do it on the perimeter. I defend one through five. I'm just a versatile guy that does what needs to be done to get the win. I'm not selfish at all and I know how to take the big game shots."

Howard, 50, is in his fifth season as Michigan's head coach, having led the team to the Elite Eight in the 2020-21 season and the Sweet 16 in the 2021-22 campaign. Heading into this season, he landed 4-star shooting guard George Washington III and a trio of transfers in Olivier Nkamhoua, Tray Jackson and Nimari Burnett.

The Wolverines are trying to bounce back after a disappointing 2022-23 season that only saw them qualify for the NIT. But a 2-0 start to the season and now Rooths' commitment has made for an excellent week in Ann Arbor, at least for the basketball program.