Previously: Fope Ayo
While center Fope Ayo is the headliner of Michigan’s incoming recruiting class, the other top-100 signee may have a bigger impact on the 2026-27 squad.
5’10” Oakland (CA) Archbishop Mitty guard Devin Cosgriff faced stiff competition both in high school and AAU ball. She could fill an immediate need in the backcourt —particularly following the graduation of Brooke Quarles Daniels, transfer of McKenzie Mathurin, and Macy Brown’s ACL tear.
Cosgriff started getting D-I offers as early as 2021. According to WBBBlog, she held offers from Louisville, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington, among several others from power conference programs.
Rankings
ESPN: Four stars, #60 overall, #23 shooting guard
247: Four stars, #79 overall, #15 shooting guard
On3: Four stars, #65 overall, #20 shooting guard
Scouting
The Bucket Problem does not endorse the San Jose Police Department, or any other police department, for that matter. We’re just starved for embeddable highlights:
While most top-100 prospects were the centerpiece of their high school squads, Cosgriff is already accustomed to being a role player, and that’s not a knock on her ability.
After her sophomore year, she transferred to Archbishop Mitty, a storied program that starred five-star Iowa-bound forward McKenna Woliczko. Mitty also featured elite 2028 recruit and Team USA member Maliya Hunter, 2027 four-star Ze’ni Patterson, and 2027 point guard prospect Tee McCarthy. There are a handful of single-game highlight reels on YouTube that show a lot of her teammates and a play or two from Cosgriff:
Woliczko is going to be a problem, unfortunately, but that’s a matter for another day. You can watch more of Cosgriff on her MaxPreps page.
A secondary scorer and defensive ace at Mitty, Cosgriff already plays a style that translates well to fitting into a big-time college program. 247’s Brandon Clay focused on that in his scouting report:
The biggest positive to Cosgriff’s game is her penchant for playing winning basketball year-round. During the school season, Cosgriff suits up for Archbishop Mitty. In the club season, she plays for Jason Kidd Select sponsored by the Hall of Fame player turned Dallas Mavericks coach. Cosgriff’s ability to be effective in both settings as a utility wing player capable of making open looks speaks volumes to where she can go at the college level. Cosgriff doesn’t need a large volume of shots to be impactful. That’s a tough adjustment for most wing prospects upon arrival in college. Cosgriff won’t have that issue.
That doesn’t mean Cosgriff’s offensive game is limited to spot-up shooting. The videos I’ve watched show her making some nice plays off the dribble as a shooter and passer in both halfcourt and transition settings, often by taking advantage of defenses committing to the threat of her three-point shot. ESPN’s Shane Laflin went so far as to describe her as a slasher:
Cosgriff is a high-energy guard out of California who thrives on defense and in transition. Primarily a slasher on offense, she has gotten better at changing speeds and expanded her jump shot over the past year.
Kellen Voss also focused on Cosgriff’s ability off the dribble:
Cosgriff is the type of ball handler that can thrive in Michigan’s offense. She’s explosive off the dribble, has a smooth handle and can score efficiently around the rim. The 5-foot-10 guard also has good form on her jump shot, knocking down threes from the wing on a quick release off the catch.
She’s got a game that her coaches love. Her high school coach gave a glowing review to On3 when Cosgriff committed:
“Devin positively impacts the energy in our gym and locker room with her a positive mindset, relentless motor & tremendous work ethic. Devin’s communication skills and willingness / ability to defend multiple positions and different styles of play – is one of the many reasons she is invaluable to our program,” Mitty head coach Sue Phillips said. “Dev’s ability to be a three level scorer, means she impacts winning on both sides of the ball.”
“I am confident that not only will Devin make an immediate impact with the University of Michigan women’s basketball program, but predict she will hit the ground running and thrive in their system as well.”
Phillips had more to say for an MLive feature that’s worth a read:
“Devin can defend multiple positions,” Phillips said, “and she doesn’t let any type of missed shot or any kind of setback on the offensive end impact her energy or effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball.” …
Phillips called Cosgriff “an amazing human being.”
That goes above and beyond the usual coach-discusses-prospect quote.
When Cosgriff signed to Michigan last November, Kim Barnes Arico sounded quite eager to get her into the program:
"We are so excited to add a player and a person like Devin to our program," Barnes Arico said. "She is one of the toughest kids I have watched play for the last few years. She is willing to defend, she's willing to rebound, she has a great mid-range game and she's just a winner. She plays in programs that win; she plays for a tremendous high school coach and a tremendous AAU program. I think adding her to our program here is just going to help us be a better team. Anytime we add someone with her grit, tenacity and winning attitude, we add something special."
Cosgriff’s defensive acumen and willingness to do the little things will help her get on the court early in her career, as does her experience playing (and practicing) against high-level competition.
Fit
Cosgriff should get every opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation in her first year. With the addition of 6’1” transfer wing Courtney Ogden, who should slot into the starting lineup, there won’t be huge minutes available, but the backcourt needs some depth.
Without Daniels, Mathurin, and Brown, there isn’t another true guard on the bench to back up Mila Holloway and Syla Swords. Michigan has some versatile returning players who’ll help Kim Barnes Arico with lineup flexibility — Ogden and Olivia Olson have the skill to be oversized shooting guards, Te’Yala Delfosse could play small forward in some big lineups, and Kendall Dudley can slide down to power forward.
Michigan is still going to need a true guard off the bench at some point. Barring a very late addition, Cosgriff is that guard, and she looks ready for a reserve role. She’s got the size to defend both guard spots and can space the floor with her shooting. With Holloway, Swords, and Olson available, Cosgriff shouldn’t be asked to initiate the offense, which will make the transition much easier.
Although Cosgriff isn’t likely to be a star at Michigan, she could be a program staple for four years. Defense and shooting are great calling cards to open her career and she’s displayed enough skill off the dribble to become a well-rounded offensive threat as she adapts to the college game. While she’s a very different player than Daniels, she could have a similar career arc as a defense-first glue player who develops from a key reserve into a valuable starter.
Image credit: On3