Today's recruiting roundup is short on length but long on top-two overall prospects with heavy interest in Michigan. That works for me. If you're looking for more on the Drake Harris commitment, click here for the Hello post.

Heavy Leanin' (No Purple Stuff, Though)

Many thanks to the board for posting the latest on five-star NJ CB Jabrill Peppers, as I can no longer stand to follow Mike Farrell's Twitter interactions with his "haters" in order to see the occasional nugget of Michigan-related info. Sometimes, though, you pan through the gravel and come up with this:

Heard from great source that 5 star DB Jabrill Peppers is now heavy lean to #Michigan and that #OhioState and #LSU have dropped on list.

— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) April 15, 2013

This would be good news no matter what, but the timing in this case is particularly promising: in the last two weeks, Peppers has visited Michigan, Ohio State, and LSU. Stanford is still a major player in Peppers' recruitment, and right now it looks like this will come down to whether his summer visit to the Cardinal lives up to his time in Ann Arbor. 247 just unveiled a (very impressive) overhaul to their database*—player pages now include updated expert predictions on where a player will commit, and all six of the 247 experts familiar with Peppers' recruitment have him pegged for Ann Arbor.

Farrell's info on #1 overall recruit VA DL Da'Shawn Hand seems a little less concrete, but nevertheless is good news for the Wolverines:

If I had to guess on order for Da'Shawn Hand it would be #Hokies then #Michigan then #Gamecocks then #Gators (pending visit) and #Alabama

— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) April 15, 2013

Virginia Tech has long been the presumed leader for Hand—they're his home-state school and he has a very strong relationship with Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster. 247's experts, FWIW, are split 75-25 between VT and U-M as Hand's eventual destination. In my non-insider opinion, I think Michigan has a very good chance to close that gap; Hand is very familiar with VT but is still learning about Michigan, and he'll be back in Ann Arbor for the Notre Dame game and perhaps once more before making a decision. Being in the mix for other five-star prospects certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Because the above certainly won't cause enough over-excitedness, 247's experts are 7-for-7 in picking MI DE Malik McDowell to Michigan. Please remember that it's still early. You still have permission to feel very, very good about Brady Hoke's recruiting prowess, though.

[Hit THE JUMP for Spring Game visit reactions and more.]

Spring Game Visit Reactions, Etc.

FL WR Artavis Scott has backed off from prior assertions that he and current commit Mason Cole (Scott's high school teammate) would be a package deal, but that hasn't stopped him from being a presence on Michigan's campus. He told 247's Steve Lorenz that this was his "best visit" to Michigan and his comfort level in Ann Arbor is growing ($):

"I've always felt comfortable at Michigan, but it's beginning to grow," he said. "It really helped to be at the game, see them throw the ball and then talk about my role. I'm a different receiver than what they've been recruiting, so I could fill a unique role in the offense."

The "different receiver" line is almost certainly a reference to Drake Harris' commitment; I don't think Harris joining the class will affect Scott's opinion of Michigan, as he's right—they'd fit different roles in the offense, with Harris as an outside deep threat and Scott more of a slot-type playmaker. I still think it's going to be tough to land Scott, who's also got offers from the three top Florida schools, but Michigan has a puncher's chance.

Four-star IL TE Daniel Helm took in the Spring Game a day after visiting Ohio State, and he told 247's Steve Wiltfong that he considered making a commitment over the weekend ($):

The Wolverines were possibly close to landing a four-star tight end as well in Chatham (Ill.) Glenwood Top247 standout Daniel Helm.

“I thought about it,” Helm said. “I’m just not ready to make a decision."

Ranked by the 247Composite as the nation’s No. 6 tight end and No. 232 prospect overall, this was Helm’s second visit to the Michigan campus and the Wolverines have set the bar moving forward. Tennessee and Ole Miss round out Helm’s top three.

“I’m not 100 percent of my timetable,” Helm said. “Michigan is only taking one tight end and Tennessee is only taking two tight ends and they already have one, so there are some options that are closing and that’s weighing on my timetable.”

With one spot to fill and offers out to several top tight ends—including Tyler Luatua, Nic Weishar, and Ian Bunting, all of whom are strongly considering Michigan—time may be running short to join the class at that position. Nabbing Helm, who's getting interest from several SEC schools along with most of the Big Ten, would be another strong early pickup—he told Scout that his choice will likely come down to Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, and Ole Miss.

Lastly, mammoth GA OT Orlando Brown Jr. named Michigan as one of the schools he's still considering, though they're behind a top three of Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas ($):

Iowa, Michigan, Ohio state, and South Carolina are all still in my recruitment

— Orlando Brown (Zeus) (@ZEUS__78) April 14, 2013

Brown is a three-star with a ton of potential—his late father had a long NFL career, and the younger Brown is already listed at 6'7"+ and 345 pounds.

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*I tend to stay out of conversations about which recruiting service one should subscribe to, as it largely depends on personal preference—for instance, GBW has Sam Webb but also Scout's astonishingly terrible interface. If you're looking for one place that integrates every services' rankings and has a ton of great free resources, however, 247 is way ahead of the field in that regard. The new database has more than enough material for a recruiting junkie to lose a day or two just poking around.