The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133554
72 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW WIDE RECEIVERS 72 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW WIDE RECEIVERS PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Josh Gattis is entering his first season as the offensive coordina- tor and wide receivers coach at Michigan after spending the 2018 season with Alabama as the co- offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. At Alabama, Gattis helped lead the Crimson Tide to the national championship game and coached a myriad of talented players, including Heisman Trophy runner-up and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, as well as projected 2020 first-round NFL Draft pick Jerry Jeudy. Bama scored 45 or more points in 10 of its 15 games last fall. The wide receiver corps was led by Jeudy, who hauled in 68 passes, averaged 19.3 yards per catch and found the end zone 14 times. He was not alone, though. The Crimson Tide had four receiv- ers (plus a tight end) eclipse the 690-yard mark. Before his lone season in Tuscaloosa, Gattis spent 2014-2017 at Penn State as the passing game coor- dinator and wide receivers coach. He helped develop All-Big Ten wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton and Chris Godwin, and was named the 2015 Big Ten Recruiter of the Year by Scout.com for his work off the field. From 2012-2013, he mentored the wide receivers at Vanderbilt, including two-time All-American Jor- dan Matthews, who finished his career as the SEC's all-time leader in receiving yards and receptions. In 2011, Gattis was in charge of the wide receiv- ers at Western Michigan, where he coached Jordan White, who led the NCAA with 140 catches and set several Mid-American Conference records en route to consensus All-America honors. Gattis started his college coaching career as an of- fensive grad assistant at North Carolina, and before that he played at Wake Forest and excelled as a safety. He was named All-ACC in 2005 and 2006, and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by Jacksonville. He played in the NFL for two seasons before turning his attention to coaching. RETURNING PLAYERS RONNIE BELL • WR So. • Kansas City, Mo. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 182 • Saw snaps in every game for the Wolverines in 2018, tally- ing eight catches for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns. • Named the team's 2018 Rookie of the Year on offense. • His first U-M reception was a 56-yard touchdown catch against Nebraska. • Set every receiving record at Park Hill High School, while amassing 2,476 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns on 159 catches during his career. Each ranks among Missouri's top three in history. • Won the 35th annual Thomas A. Simone Award as the top football player in the Kansas City area, but was still listed by Rivals as a two-star recruit. TARIK BLACK • WR R-So. • Hamden, Conn. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 215 • Suffered a foot injury during camp that kept him off the field for the first half of the 2018 season. • Appeared in six contests, including one start, during the 2018 season and finished with four catches for 35 yards. • Started the first three games in 2017 before suf- fering a foot injury that ended his freshman year. • Finished his rookie campaign with 149 receiving yards, which ranked seventh on the squad. He also had one of team's nine receiving touch- downs, a 46-yarder in his first-ever game, against Florida in the season opener. • His 49.7 receiving yards per contest in 2017 led the squad, nearly doubling the next-best player (Grant Perry, 27.9). • Ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 11 wide ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year Elig. Hometown (High School) 8 Ronnie Bell WR 6-0 182 So. So. Kansas City, Mo. (Park Hill) 7 Tarik Black WR 6-3 215 Jr. So. Hamden, Conn. (Cheshire Academy) 4 Nico Collins WR 6-4 218 Jr. Jr. Birmingham, Ala. (Clay-Chalkville) 43 Tyler Grosz* WR 6-1 206 Sr. Jr. Auburn Hills, Mich. (Avondale) — Giles Jackson WR 5-9 179 Fr. Fr. Antioch, Calif. (Freedom) — Cornelius Johnson WR 6-3 199 Fr. Fr. Greenwich, Conn. (Brunswick) — George Johnson III WR 6-0 181 Fr. Fr. Stuart, Fla. (Martin County) — Quintel Kent WR 6-0 172 Fr. Fr. Lakewood, Ohio (St. Edward) 24 Jake Martin* WR 5-11 202 Sr. Jr. Grand Rapids, Mich. (Forrest Hills Northern) 43 Jake McCurry* WR 6-0 185 Jr. So. Solon, Ohio (Solon) 9 D. Peoples-Jones WR 6-2 208 Jr. Jr. Detroit (Cass Tech) 19 Mike Sainristil WR 5-10 179 Fr. Fr. Everett, Mass. (Everett) 81 Nate Schoenle WR 6-2 202 Sr. Sr. Plymouth, Mich. (Gabriel Richard) 15 Jacob West* WR 6-1 205 5th Sr. Pinckney, Mich. (Pinckney) 29 Brendan White WR 6-1 195 5th Sr. Scottsdale, Ariz. (Notre Dame Prep) 31 Jack Young* WR 6-2 191 Jr. So. Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon) * Walk-on Sophomore Ronnie Bell was an underrated two-star recruit coming out of high school, but played in every game last year and caught eight passes for 145 yards and two scores. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL