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 ] 62 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW championship and wanted to compete for a national championship." Wilson, meanwhile, contributed 5 catches for 104 yards in a Fiesta Bowl loss to TCU in his breakout game. The senior worked hard in the offseason to add strength to help him explode off the line of scrimmage. "I think Roman is ready to take off," Bellamy said. "He introduced himself to the nation in the TCU game, and now it's just seeing the little things he's worked on. "We talk about improving in the offseason. He's a super-detailed guy, smart, competitive. He really chal- lenged himself in the spring and looked really good. "He has gotten stronger and added more bulk. Coach Herb [strength coach Ben Herbert] and his staff have done a remarkable job not only with Roman, but our entire team. You can just see Roman is more explosive, he's stronger. … You see him winning more contested catches. He looks the part." Vying For Playing Time If the Wolverines are go- ing to be as good as Moore predicts they can be, a few others are going to have to raise their games to comple- ment the two veterans. O'Leary is one of the candidates after his outstand- ing spring, culminating in a spring game performance in which he caught 6 passes for 126 yards, including the winning two-point conversion. It was no fluke, Bellamy insisted. He knew the first time he saw the multi- talented junior — he was an all-state lacrosse player at Byfield (Mass.) Gov- ernor's Academy — that he could con- tribute someday. And while he wouldn't label him "No. 3" out of spring like some tried to, the coach made it clear he'd get more op- portunities this fall. "Peyton definitely positioned himself to go into fall camp to be able to com- pete for us for extensive playing time. He's a 'Steady Eddie,'" Bellamy said. "He's 6-foot-3, he's long, he's smooth, he's agile. He just does things the right way. He's highly competitive and highly dependable. "My challenge to Peyton was what you did in spring ball, can you do that in fall camp and do it during the season? He did it all spring." Next in line on the "those to watch" list might be sophomore Tyler Morris, who switched from No. 13 to No. 8 in the offseason. Morris had only 3 catches last year, but he opened eyes with his potential. There were occasions this spring when he reminded the coaches of the guy wearing No. 8 last year, Bellamy said. "There were times Coach Harbaugh and I looked at each other and said, 'He looks just like Ronnie Bell out there,'" Bellamy said. "He's a Ronnie clone, probably a little stronger than Ronnie was at this point in his career. They're very similar in the sense that he just has that aggressive, competitive nature about himself that if that ball is in the air, it's his. "Tyler is a quiet guy, doesn't say much, but he'll mix it up with anybody. He'll block defensive ends, linebackers, safeties, the cornerback out on a screen. He's highly competitive and a guy I'm super excited about." Darrius Clemons arrived at U-M last year and made an immediate impres- sion, showing off his great speed. Clem- ons was quiet as a freshman, catching only 1 ball for 7 yards, but he earned a letter. The coaching staff is hopeful he makes a huge leap from his freshman to sophomore season like so many in the past, and Bellamy believes he can. ❱ Plenty of snaps will be up for grabs in the U-M wide receiver rotation this year with Ronnie Bell's graduation. He led the group with 760 snaps played in 14 games last season, 365 in passing situations. Graduate Cornelius Johnson was second on the team with 649 and 338, respectively, and will be able to add more to his plate. From there, no wide receiver played more than 294 total snaps (Roman Wilson), and the next closest to him back on the roster in 2023 are Darrius Clemons with 74 and Tyler Morris with 50. ❱ The Wolverines have their work cut out for them in replacing Bell, who became the first at his position during the Jim Harbaugh era to surpass 60-plus receptions, finishing with 62 catches for 889 yards and 4 touchdowns. Johnson and Wilson had 32 and 25 catches, re- spectively, while Morris' 3 grabs are the next-most that return from last year's roster. ❱ Johnson was at his best over the middle of the field from 0-9 yards past the line of scrim- mage last season, catching 21-of-27 targets for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns on the season. From 10-19 yards out between the numbers, he had 5 catches for 62 yards and a touch- down. Johnson's deep ball opportunities were limited, but he recorded 3 receptions for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns on throws 20 yards or more down the field in 2022. Last season, graduate Cornelius Johnson recorded 32 catches for 499 yards and a team- high 6 touchdowns, including TD grabs of 69 and 75 yards against Ohio State. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL [ F Y I ]