brett neilon

A Top Three... Of One

Michigan's recent push for five-star CA CB Darnay Holmes is paying off. Holmes is in the process of narrowing his recruitment to three schools, and he told Maize n Brew he knows one school that will make the cut:

2017 5* CB/WR Darnay Holmes told @MaizenBrew that Michigan is the ONLY team that he knows will make his Top 3. Still deciding on others.

— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) June 6, 2016

Nebraska is also a safe bet to be in the top three; the only official visit Holmes has set so far is to Lincoln, though he also plans to take officials to Michigan and Ohio State. Stanford and UCLA are also heavily involved. Michigan has gone from the fringe of Holmes' recruitment to the possible leader in a hurry.

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Jim Harbaugh, Picky Shopper

NOPE

Maize n Brew's Brandon Justice penned an article on four-star CA C Brett Neilon for the Detroit News that contains what I believe is the first food-related Harbaughism that isn't about red meat:

A conversation Neilon had with Harbaugh earlier this month may have placed Michigan at the top of Neilon’s list among schools he is considering.

The topic: blueberries.

“He told me, if you buy a pack of 30 blueberries and one is moldy, it will affect the others, and that’s why he doesn’t recruit moldy blueberries,” Neilon said, laughing, recalling his talk with Harbaugh. “(Harbaugh) thinks I will fit perfectly at Michigan.”

While Neilon won't cop to having a leader, he acknowledged Michigan is recruiting him harder than any other school. USC and Washington are M's primary competition. Notably, the California native says distance from home won't play a factor.

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An Entire Section On Top-100 Receivers With Serious Interest

both edits was nice so I had to post both pic.twitter.com/BOBA5h3bLO

— Tee Higgins (@teehiggins5) May 15, 2016

While that isn't an ordered top ten, Michigan is the first program listed by five-star TN WR Tee Higgins, a one-time Tennessee commit who's expressed his interest in paying his way to Ann Arbor this summer, per 247.

“I know I want to get down to Michigan and Florida State,” Higgins told 247Sports National Analyst Ryan Bartow last week. “(Michigan’s coaches) really want me to get on campus, so I just told them I’d get down there."

Clemson is the current Crystal Ball favorite, receiving all the predictions following Higgins' decommitment from UT. A visit could chance that outlook, but there's no question Higgins will be a tough pull.

The most plausible five-star wideout option is still just a few minutes down I-94. Cass Tech's Donovan Peoples-Jones took another visit to campus last weekend, and according to The Wolverine's Brandon Brown, it might have put Michigan out in front:

The 6-1, 188-pounder was at U-M yesterday and was able to tour many of Michigan's medical facilities and also got the chance to speak with many doctors and medical professionals during his trip. The visit went so well that people in the know at Cass Tech now feel that Michigan may be firmly in the driver's seat with his recruitment.

Michigan is still competing with a pile of top programs that Peoples-Jones plans to visit before a decision. As an expected early enrollee, Peoples-Jones doesn't have as long to check out all those schools as most prospects, however, and a lead by the home team could be tough to overcome. Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, 247's Steve Lorenz posted some expanded thoughts on Michigan from top-100 AL WR Nico Collins, who named the Wolverines his leader after his recent visit:

"Coach Harbaugh is a laid-back fun guy that you can talk about anything with," he said. "They care about you. Right now they are standing out. The coaching staff really stands out. The program that they have and what they are going to do for you after college is over. They have you set up for life. That was the main thing they care about. They want you to graduate and to get better at life too. It's a life decision. It's not a big lead, but they've been my best visit so far for sure. Georgia and Alabama were the other schools I've really enjoyed so far." 

Guarded optimism seems to be the proper response in Collins' case. For the receiver position as a group, you can probably increment that up to full-blown optimism. With Harbaugh at the helm and a five-star quarterback in the fold, convincing top-flight wideouts to come to Michigan shouldn't be too difficult.

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