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.

[Hit THE JUMP for the rest of the roundup.]

Ross Gets Open

Linebacker commit Josh Ross participated in the Chicago Opening regional last weekend and earned an invite to July's finals, joining running backs AJ Dillon and O'Maury Samuels among M commits to punch their ticket to Oregon. Scout's Allen Trieu was in Chicago and provided a quick evaluation of Ross's performance:

Michigan commit Josh Ross earned an Opening invite. He's technically sound and does well in drills. He's a strong kid. He still is working on pass coverage, but he's a big, physical, classic MIKE linebacker.

Cass Tech safety Jaylen Kelly-Powell, a likely candidate to end up in the class, also received an invite to the finals.

In other commit news, Brandon Brown caught up with DT/OG commit Phil Paea's high school coach, who likes his star player on both sides of ball, but especially on offense:

"I think that his ceiling is a little higher on the offensive side because of his athleticism," Scaccia said. "There are other athletic, 300-pound defensive tackles. He's about 285 or 287 so he'll be at 300 pounds real soon and I just think he is a devastating run blocker. We don't have a seven-step package or a lot of passing in our offense so I think he could still grow leaps and bounds in his pass protection. It's just not something that we do that much. I don't think he's even scratched the surface on what he can do as an offensive lineman.

Paea is coming to Michigan as a defensive tackle, but as noted when he committed, his upside at guard may be too high to ignore.

Three Stand Out To Neilon

Four-star CA C Brett Neilon, one of the top center prospects in the country, told Scout's Scott Eklund that three schools—Michigan, USC, and Washington—are standing out, and went into detail on what he likes about the Wolverines:

"My trip to Michigan was sorta like my visit to Washington -- it was one of the best trips I took. Coach (Jim) Harbaugh has been there only one season and he went 10-3, so he's already got them on the right track and the Michigan brand is worldwide with their huge fanbase. I think he'll have them winning a National Championship in the next couple of years."

Neilon doesn't have a firm timeline right now, but could commit before the season. Given his proximity to the other two finalists, it may be better for Michigan if he takes the process into the fall so he can come back to Ann Arbor on an official.

Etc.

Michigan offered four-star 2018 IN RB Markese Stepp while he was on an unofficial visit last weekend. He told 247's Steve Wiltfong the offer and visit put Michigan "right there" with his top two heading into the trip, Michigan State and Notre Dame.