Can Tyler Morris be the next Ronnie Bell for Michigan football?

Michigan football isn’t going to replace everything Ronnie Bell did on and off the field, but Tyler Morris could be an ideal replacement for his production.

Ronnie Bell did a lot for the 2022 Michigan football team. He was an exceptional leader and also the Wolverines’ leading receiver.

It took Bell a minute to get back to full speed after suffering a knee injury early in the 2021 season. But by the time November rolled around, Bell was on fire. He was spectacular down the stretch against Ohio State, Purdue, and TCU.

Bell is one of the top 10 Michigan football-receiving leaders of all time and he’s going to be missed as much for his leadership as his production.

However, in terms of replacing Bell in the lineup, Michigan football has the perfect option and that’s sophomore wideout Tyler Morris.

Morris is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, and was formerly a teammate of J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy went to IMG Academy for his senior season, but the two have a great connection and we saw it a little bit last year.

Morris had a key reception against Rutgers as the Wolverines actually needed to rally to win that game (something we kind of forget).

Can Morris be the next Ronnie Bell?

Now, Morris has changed his number to 8 — the same as Bell — and according to a new report from Chris Balas of The Wolverine, Morris has often reminded coaches of Bell this spring.

Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson coming back and that’s huge. The Wolverines also have Darrius Clemons poised to take the next step on the outside. So there’s no shortage of talent, especially with Peyton O’Leary breaking out in the spring game.

O’Leary should definitely be a factor on the wide receiver depth chart in the fall, but if the reports are true, Morris should take over that slot role, and with his skillset, and previous ties to McCarthy, I expect a breakout season in 2023.

You can’t expect him to be Ronnie Bell. However, I believe he’ll take a huge step in that direction, which will be critical for the offense to realize its full potential.