The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 65 [ W I D E R E C E I V E R S ] touchdowns, posting better than 1,700 all- purpose yards and 24 overall TDs. Wideout represents one position at which young players can break in a little more eas- ily. This crew looks physically ready to go, age notwithstanding, according to Michi- gan's now former sideline reporter. "You have two monster freshmen who don't look like freshmen," Karsch said, re- ferring to Clemons and Walker. "Let me tell you something. Working games, before I was on the field, I used to wonder why freshmen weren't making an impact. It's because their spindly little arms coming out of the shoul- der pads look like they'd be broken if they got into games. "But people say that Clemons and Walker just don't look like freshmen. Nor do many of these freshmen who showed up early. They look ready to play in the Big Ten, which is just rare. "Obviously, Clemons showed some of that in the spring game. The buzz started early about him, and it hasn't subsided." The mix of veteran and rookie talent, along with Bell coming back out of the shad- ows, should make for a very strong position group. Karsch recognizes the potential and what the competition portends. He also tosses in a note of cau- tion, regarding the intangibles that make or break any crew. "It might be the strongest position group on the team, which is saying a lot," Karsch said. "It might be the strongest position group on offense, between the quar- terbacks, the offensive line, the running backs, the tight ends … think about it. They've got depth everywhere. "I remember some pretty good offenses in my day, at Michigan, and now it's just a matter of putting it all together and continu- ing to get better. You give them all a standard learning curve and the offense could be scary good. "But it's no given that everybody does everything in the offseason to get better. They've got to go out and do the work. They've got to do the meeting on your own time to have the seven-on-sevens, and dedi- cate yourself in the weight room, in the play- book and in the film room. "If they do all of those things, this could be one of the better Michigan offenses we've seen in a long time." Certainly, Karsch noted, that talent is on hand. "They're loaded there," he said. "They're absolutely loaded there." ❑ Sophomore Andrel Anthony's first career catch went for 93 yards and a touchdown against Michigan State last fall. That highlight- ed a 6-catch afternoon for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Spartans for the East Lansing native. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Graduate student Ronnie Bell returns to the program 17 catches shy of 100 with 83 career receptions for 1,380 yards and 5 TDs. Senior Cornelius Johnson, who led the team with 39 receptions for 620 yards and 3 TDs in 2021, is 41 receptions away from 100. The addition of Darrius Clemons (On3's No. 76 overall prospect) in the 2022 recruiting class is only the second time U-M has added a top-100 wide receiver prospect under Jim Harbaugh. The other was five-star Dono- van Peoples-Jones (On3 Consensus No. 17 prospect) in 2017. Peoples-Jones was third- team All-Big Ten as both a receiver and punt returner, and appeared in 37 games, total- ing 2,155 all-purpose yards and 16 TDs. The Wolverines appear to be in position to improve their NFL Draft output at wide receiver. U-M has sent only four receivers to the league since 2016: Amara Darboh (third round, 2016), Jehu Chesson (seventh round, 2016), Peoples-Jones (sixth round, 2020) and Nico Collins (third round, 2021). Bell and Johnson could be headed there in 2022. No U-M wide receiver has surpassed 60 receptions during the Harbaugh era. Dar- boh had 57 receptions in 2016, with Bell's 48-catch output in 2019 coming next clos- est. Devin Funchess was the last to reach this mark, grabbing 62 balls for 733 yards and 4 TDs in 2014. [ F Y I ]