The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ W I D E R E C E I V E R S ] 76 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH Josh Gattis is entering his third season as the offensive coordina- tor and wide receivers coach at Michigan, after spending the 2018 campaign with Alabama as the co- offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Under Gattis, Michigan's offense struggled in 2020, with the unit averaging 28.3 points (66th nationally) and 381.8 yards (78th) per game. The Wolverines were able to muster more than 350 yards of offense in four of six contests and posted at least 450 yards of offense three times. His receivers showed some flashes in 2020 as part of a unit that averaged 250.3 yards per game through the air, which was good for 44th in the nation. Junior Ronnie Bell led the way, posting 26 receptions for 401 yards (15.4 average) and one touchdown. Sophomore Cornelius Johnson aver- aged a team-high 15.9 yards per catch, hauled in 16 passes for 254 yards and led the club in receiving touchdowns with three. In 2019, Gattis shifted the Michigan offense from pro-style to an up-tempo spread attack. The transi- tion took some time, especially considering the team turned the ball over 13 times in its first six contests. But the Wolverines showed progress throughout and were much improved by the end of the campaign, passing for more than 300 yards in each of the final three games. The offense ranked No. 21 in the country in ESPN's SP+ efficiency rating and averaged more than 400 yards per game. Michigan's wide receivers thrived under Gattis' tutelage in 2019. Five players had 25 or more re- ceptions, and two Wolverines had more than 700 receiving yards. Bell, then a sophomore, led the way with 48 catches for 758 yards and one touchdown, while junior Nico Collins posted 37 receptions for 729 yards and seven scores. Collins' average of 19.7 yards per catch ranked second in the Big Ten. Junior Donovan Peoples-Jones also caught six touchdown passes, and he then was chosen by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. At Alabama, Gattis helped lead the Crimson Tide to the national championship game and coached a myriad of talented players. Among them was Heis- man Trophy runner-up quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was taken No. 5 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, as well as wide receivers Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy, who were also selected in the first round, and 2020 Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, a first-round pick in 2021 who made 42 receptions for 693 yards and six touchdowns while being coached by Gattis as a sophomore. Bama scored 45 or more points in 10 of its 15 games in 2018. The receiving 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 receivers (plus a tight end) eclipse the 690-yard mark. Before his lone season in Tuscaloosa, Gattis spent 2014-17 at Penn State as the passing game coordi- nator 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 2012-13, he mentored the wide receivers at Vanderbilt, including two-time All-American Jordan Matthews, who finished his career as the SEC's all-time leader in receptions (262) and receiving yards (3,759). 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 offensive graduate 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 taken by Jacksonville in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played in the NFL for two seasons before turning his attention to coaching. RETURNING PLAYERS RONNIE BELL • WR Jr. • Kansas City, Mo. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 190 • Led the team with 26 recep- tions for 401 yards and scored one touchdown during the 2020 campaign. • Season was highlighted by his six-catch, 149- yard day against Indiana. • Played in all 13 games with 10 starts in 2019, and led the club in receptions (48) and receiving yards (758) with one touchdown. • Received All-Big Ten honorable mention honors from the media and was named the team's Of- fensive Skill Player of the Year. • Posted career highs in catches (nine) and receiv- ing yards (150) against Michigan State. • Saw snaps in every game for the Wolverines in 2018, tallying 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 touch- down catch against Nebraska. • Set every receiving record at Park Hill High A.J. Henning appeared in all six games as a freshman in 2020 and had six receptions for 59 yards. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL