Michigan Football: What we learned about wide receiver this spring

In our position-by-position look at Michigan football post-spring, here’s what we learned about the Wolverines’ wide receivers during spring ball. 

Like most positions, Michigan football is dealing with some turnover at wide receiver heading into the 2023 season.

The most significant departure is that of Ronnie Bell, who led Michigan football in yards and receptions last season after returning from a season-ending injury in 2021. It was a great year for Bell and it was awesome to see him get back to his old self.

That late touchdown catch against Ohio State was the stuff of legend. But what is Michigan football going to do to replace Bell next season?

With that in mind, we look back at the spring with the wide receiver position in mind, following our articles on what we learned about quarterback and running back this spring. 

What did we learn about wide receiver this spring?

The good news is that the Wolverines still have plenty of talent and experience. Cornelius Johnson is back for another season after catching 32 passes for 499 yards last season. We all remember his two scores against Ohio State and he’s in line for a bigger role in 2023.

Roman Wilson is too. Wilson is a really stellar deep threat and we saw that in the TCU game. When he’s healthy, Wilson is a game-changer and after 25 catches for 376 yards a year ago, he feels like a true breakout candidate to me.

If anyone on this team is going to put up Bell-like numbers next year at wideout, my bet is on Wilson. I’m also expecting a big leap from sophomores Darrius Clemons and Tyler Morris.

However, the guy that really turned heads during the spring game was former walk-on Peyton O’Leary who caught six passes for 126 yards in the spring game. He even had a long reception of 34 yards late as his team rallied to win. Plus, he caught the game-winning two-pointer.

O’Leary caught one pass last season but that number should grow. A.J. Henning is another guy that should see a bigger role in the slot this season, but O’Leary’s emergence could have an impact on that.

Beyond that, freshmen Fredrick Moore and Semaj Morgan stood out during spring practices and the spring game. Both were under-recruited. Getting on the field will all the depth ahead of them might be tough, just like it was for Clemson and Morris last season.

However, if opportunities arise, I have confidence in those guys to deliver. I have always liked Moore much more than his ranking and thought Morgan should have been a four-star too.

All in all, even though Bell and Andrel Anthony are gone, the wide receiver room is loaded with talent, experience, and production. Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has plenty of weapons and when people mention the position as a transfer portal need, I disagree.

The Wolverines have more than enough wide receiver talent to win a third Big Ten title in a row next season and also a lot of untapped potential I’m hoping McCarthy unlocks.

Either way, the passing game will be more explosive than in 2022, that’s a guarantee.