Lincoln Cosby
| No. 5 – Michigan Wolverines | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / power forward |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | November 29, 2008 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Florida) |
| College | Michigan (2026–present) |
Lincoln Cosby (born November 29, 2008) is an American college basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines of the Big Ten Conference. He was a five-star, top-10 ranked member of the 2027 recruiting class, before reclassifying to 2026 as a four-star, top-50 ranked member.
Early life and high school
Cosby's earliest basketball experiences came when his family lived in Nashville, Tennessee.[1] His family moved to the Lakota School District in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio when he was in 7th grade.[2] In 2023, Cosby had then moved to Atlanta, Georgia and became the first freshman and youngest player to ever sign with Overtime Elite.[1] He began his freshman year regarded by many as the top player in the class of 2027.[1] Cosby was ESPN's No. 2 prospect as of May 2024.[3] In July 2024, ESPN rated him as the No. 3 prospect.[2] That summer, he had multiple head to head matchups against Baba Oladotun as the two vied for the top spot in the 2027 rankings.[2][4] He continued as a sophomore on the Overtime Elite circuit where he stood out, even as one of the youngest players.[5] He averaged 15.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks as a sophomore.[6] Before transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida for his junior year, he was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in July 2025.[7]
Recruitment
Cosby had offers that included, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Michigan, Auburn, Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida State, Houston, Memphis, Ole Miss, Georgia, Louisville, Missouri, Wake Forest, UNLV, Arizona State, Alabama, USC, and LSU.[7] His October 2025 visit to Michigan was his only known official visit, according to Sports Illustrated.[8] However, in October 2025, Yahoo! Sports had announced a scheduled October visit to Kentucky.[9] Though rivals also listed only one visit to Michigan.[10] On January 31, 2026, he announced that he would reclassify to the 2026 recruiting class. He had been a top-10 member in the class of 2027, ranked No. 10 by ESPN and No. 9 by rivals before the switch to 2026.[10][11] On February 10, 2026, Cosby committed to college play basketball at the University of Michigan. He had recently undergone surgery on his ACL before his announcement.[8] Once reclassified, he was ranked as a top 50 prospect by all three recruiting outlets. He joined a top-ranked Michigan recruiting class that included Brandon McCoy Jr., Quinn Costello, Joseph Hartman, Malachi Brown and Marcus Moller.[12]
International play
He was selected by USA Basketball for the 2023 and 2025 Men’s Junior National Team minicamps. He also participated in the 2023-24 NextGen EuroLeague Berlin Finals for the Under-18 Overtime Elite team, averaging 3.3 points and 3 rebounds in 3 games.[6]
College career
In April 2026, Cosby signed to play college basketball at the University of Michigan for head coach Dusty May and the Wolverines. After suffering a torn ACL during his junior year of high school basketball, he reclassified to join the Wolverines a year early, where he will spend most of the season rehabbing his injury.[13] After Dusty May departed to coach the Dallas Mavericks in June 2026, Mike Boynton was promoted to head coach at Michigan and Cosby remained with the program.[14]
References
- 1 2 3 Bohn, Rodger (October 6, 2023). "Introducing Lincoln Cosby". Ballislife.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Helwagen, Steve (July 21, 2024). "Lincoln Cosby gaining steam as one of nation's top 2027 targets, has ties to Ohio". 247Sports. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ↑ ESPN Sports Center Next (May 17, 2024). "@SCNext status update". Twitter. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ↑ Jenkins, Brandon (July 15, 2024). "Baba Oladotun and Lincoln Cosby go head-to-head and other storylines highlight Peach Jam weekend". 247Sports. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ↑ Crain, Nick (February 20, 2024). "Overtime Elite: Lincoln Cosby is Next Up". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Fernandez, Lawrence (July 10, 2025). "Five-star prospect Lincoln Cosby transfers to Montverde Academy". On3.com. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
- 1 2 Van De Griek, Ross (July 10, 2025). "2027 Five-Star Small Forward Lincoln Cosby Transfers to Montverde Academy". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Borzello, Jeff and Paul Biancardi (February 10, 2026). "Lincoln Cosby commits to Michigan, reclassifies into 2026 class". ESPN. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- ↑ Tipton, Joe (October 6, 2025). "2027 Top-10 recruit Lincoln Cosby sets visit to Kentucky". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Tipton, Joe (January 31, 2026). "2027 Top-10 recruit Lincoln Cosby reclassifies to 2026". On3.com. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ ESPN (February 10, 2026). "@sportscenternext status update". Instagram. Retrieved February 17, 2026.
- ↑ Singer, Jacob (February 10, 2026). "2026 four-star forward Lincoln Cosby commits to Michigan Basketball". SB Nation. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
- ↑ Wywrot, Tom (April 28, 2026). "Wolverines Add McCoy, Cosby to Class of 2026 Signees". MGoBlue.com. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- ↑ Zuniga, Alejandro (July 3, 2026). "Michigan basketball: Lincoln Cosby to stay with Wolverines after Dusty May's departure". 247Sports.