It's been a light week for recruiting, which is fine because HAVE WE MENTIONED MICHIGAN IS IN THE FINAL FOUR? Anyway, here's the latest from the recruiting scene.

Succinct, At Least

Earlier this afternoon.

me:  ugh you had to post the ferns thing
that's definitely what's leading off my post right now
Brian:  if it gets posted twice oh well
me:  yeah, I made a different joke, at least.
Brian:  just make some snarky comment about how i'm a jerk
me:  that can be done.

Brian is a jerk.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, Michigan commit Michael Ferns posted this picture to his Instagram account today, with the caption "Ummm.. Thanks Coach":

It appears Mississippi State is interested in Ferns, knows he's a fan of Michigan's family atmosphere, and therefore let one of their coaches' six-year-old kids be his primary recruiting contact. The small child that penned the above clearly pictures himself as the future recruiting coordinator at NC State.

Greg Mattison finds this all rather adorable, and will now return to recruiting players the likes of which Mississippi State hasn't seen in ever.

[Hit THE JUMP for spring practice visit reactions and more.]

Visit Reactions

Several prospects continue to roll through Ann Arbor to catch Michigan in spring practice action. One of the recent visitors was TN OL Alex Bars, who passed through Ann Arbor as part of a six-school visit swing—and, per 247's Barton Simmons, picked a great weekend to be on campus ($):

“[Alex's brother, U-M OL Blake Bars] took me out Friday night. That was good. He loves it up there so he got to show me around and everything and we got to watch the Michigan game when they came back against Kansas. It was crazy. They were running up and down the hallways. I watched practice on Friday and they kind of scrimmaged. It was fun to watch. It was great to see my brother out there playing and everything.”

Bars is a heavily-recruited prospect who's kept quiet about possible leaders so far, but he says he'd like to make a decision before his senior season. Michigan should be firmly in the mix to land him, though the competition—which includes Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Penn State—will be stiff.

Detroit Country Day WR Maurice Ways took in Friday's scrimmage and got a chance to chat with the coaches, coming away with his eyes set on an offer, per 247's Steve Lorenz ($):

"They said that it's a process and that I have to be patient," Ways said. "To be honest, I walked away with the mindset that an offer might be coming pretty soon. I do think sometime down the road, maybe before the summer hits, that I'll have an offer from Michigan. I told them that I'm very high on them, and they said the same about me. Right now, it's just about building a relationship and getting comfortable with each other and going through the process."

Ways says he's looking to get back on campus either this weekend or for the Spring Game. Even if he doesn't get an offer right away, he's a local kid who—at 6'4", 195 pounds—fits the profile of what Michigan wants in a receiver, and it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him pulling in some big-time scholarships down the road.

Detroit King CB Jalen Embry and OH TE Chance Sorrell both visited over the weekend, as well, and both are in a similar situation—neither hold a Michigan offer and likely won't until the coaches evaluate them at this summer's camp. Both came away impressed (Embry, via 247's Clint Brewster [$], Sorrell via GBW's Josh Newkirk [$]) and, were Michigan to offer either, it appears the Wolverines would have a good chance to land a commitment.

Etc.

Four-star NJ TE Garrett Dickerson told Rivals' Adam Friedman that a few schools are currently standing out to him, including Michigan ($):

"I've definitely formed a good relationship with the coaches at Michigan and also at Stanford with Coach Kotulski," he said. "N.C. State can also be thrown in there. I'd just say that they are good coaches and are easy to get along with and are guys that I would want to be my coach so I'd guess they are the schools that stand out because of that."

Dickerson only has one upcoming current visit set, to Stanford, but says he "definitely" wants to check out Michigan and Ohio State.

Three-star NJ RB Jonathan Hilliman released his top ten, in order, on Twitter yesterday:

My official Top 10 (in order) #OSU #Mich #Bama #Ru #Stanford #Georgia #Oregon #BC #Ark #Vandy

— J B O O G I E™ (@Thrilliman23) April 1, 2013

Michigan obviously has ground to make up on Ohio State; they're still in a very good position to make a push for Hilliman's signature.

Four-star IL OL Jamarco Jones told ESPN's Chantel Jennings that Michigan should make upcoming cut down to 8-10 schools, and he'll be on campus Thursday to check out a practice ($). So far his recruitment appears to be a Midwest battle—MSU, OSU, and Notre Dame are also under serious consideration.