Michigan's wide receiver room seemed stacked heading into the season, but it took until Week 3 for the passing game to really open up. So far, it has been the JJ Buchanan show, but Andrew Marsh finally emerged as the receiving threat he once was a season ago. But who is the WR3 for the Wolverines? Well, it seemed like it would be freshman Travis Johnson, but that doesn't look to be the case.
In his weekly press conference on Monday, Whittingham geared up the media and fans for what is to come in Week 4, which is a tough matchup against No. 17 Iowa. Whittingham gave some insight into the state of the wide receiver room, especially on who is going to be Michigan's WR3.
It seemed like it was going to be Travis Johnson, who recorded his first catch this season against UTEP for 10 yards and even had a carry for two yards. Well, apparently, Johnson isn't even in the competition for WR3; instead, it is freshman Salesi Moa, Channing Goodwin, and Kendrick Bell.
#Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham says freshman WR Salesi Moa, WR Channing Goodwin and WR Kendrick Bell are battling for that WR3 spot.
— Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) September 21, 2026
Travis Johnson and Jaime Ffrench seem to have fallen in the wide recevier room
Not only has Travis Johnson seemed to have fallen in the WR3 race, but so has Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench, who also seemed to be a leader in the race. Ffrench has yet to get a single catch for the Wolverines this season, not making much of a difference to the Wolverines.
At least Johnson has got a catch and a carry against UTEP, but it must not have been enough for offensive coordinator Jason Beck and Kyle Whittingham. When you look at the numbers, at least Solesi Moa has a touchdown this season; granted, it came in garbage time against UTEP with the backups in, but the catch he did have was impressive.
It does seem like the WR3 race is a little futile because Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan are clearly running the receiving game for the Wolverines. Obviously, Marsh and Buchanan can't be the only receivers quarterback Bryce Underwood goes to, so someone else needs to step up, and that someone is going to be between Moa, Goodwin, or Bell.
Now, this doesn't mean that Johnson and Ffrench are out of the running, but right now, the freshmen are in the lead for that WR3 spot. With conference play up next, though, Michigan needs all the wide receivers be ready to go, so that WR3 spot could become more of a rotation than just one guy.
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