Days before practice began for the 2025-26 season, Michigan picked up a commitment from a top 2026 recruit: four-star forward Quinn Costello. Costello is the second player to commit to Michigan, joining Danish 7-footer Marcus Moller.
Here’s what we know about Costello so far and what fans can expect from him during his college career.
What we know so far
On the 247Sports composite, Costello ranks 38th overall, seventh among power forwards and first among players from Massachusetts. The Boston native plays at The Newman
School.
As my colleague Jake Singer discussed when Costello committed, his stock went up significantly after impressive performances at Pangos All-American Camp and the NBPA Top 100 Camp. Per this scouting report, Costello averaged 11 points, five rebounds and one assist per game on 42 percent shooting from the floor, 34 percent from three, 88 percent from the free throw line and 43 percent on unguarded catch-and-shoot threes.
Michigan beat out Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina, Purdue and Minnesota for Costello’s commitment.
Scouting Report
247Sports lists Costello at 6-foot-10 and 195 pounds. He’s got a lean, almost slight frame, but it’s clear why so many blue blood programs were interested in him. He’s a good spot-up shooter who has excellent form on his jump shot. He isn’t afraid to let it fly.
Costello moves smoothly off screens and looks comfortable running in transition. He’s a decent offensive rebounder, although he’s almost always the tallest player on the floor.
Similar to Danny Wolf, Costello has excellent court vision and can be used as a fulcrum in the offense. He sees cutters well and times his passes perfectly. He’s unselfish on the perimeter, and he’s got a good feel for when to fire a shot and when give it up.
He’s more than a stretch-four — watch the clip below at the 0:15 mark. Costello comes off a screen on a baseline out-of-bounds set, fakes the handoff with his defender over-helping the cutting guard, and takes two quick dribbles towards the rim before leaving the ground just before the lane and finishing at the rim. That’s the kind of stuff that makes college coaches salivate over versatile big men.
The area of Costello’s game I am most intrigued by, however, is his defense. He moves his feet incredibly well and has the speed to keep up with slashing forwards. He’s a good athlete who times his leaps well, and he keeps the ball in play on blocks, a savvy move on the interior. Costello has the frame and timing to grow into one of the best shot blockers in the Big Ten.
If I have to nitpick, I don’t like that his jumpshot starts from below his chest, as it takes a while for him to go from catching the ball to releasing it. That is often a crutch that skinnier high school shooters use, but it can be coached out of him at the collegiate level. He can finish through contact, but he will need to put on more muscle to excel in the Big Ten.
All the tools are there for Costello to grow into a player like Chet Holmgren, who could anchor a defense while being more than a lob threat offensively.
Where Costello fits in Michigan’s rotation
It’s pretty clear Dusty May has a type at this point.
The Wolverines encouraged Wolf to handle the ball and facilitate the offense, with the Yale transfer establishing beautiful chemistry with Vlad Goldin. When the Area 50-1 pick-and-roll was working, it was pretty hard to stop it for a large portion of last season.
I’ve already written about how Michigan has the pieces to replicate that supersized pick-and-roll with Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., plus Will Tschetter being a lethal spot-up three-point shooter. Lendeborg only has one year of eligibility left, so Costello can be the next man up in that spot in 2026-27.
Beyond this season, it’s easy to see Costello sliding into a point-forward role, and he could run a similar set to the Area 50-1 pick-and-roll with Moller. There will likely be growing pains as he gets used to the pace of Michigan’s offense and college basketball in general, but Costello has the tools to grow into a leading scorer in Ann Arbor in a few years.
