The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/432566
ily blocking roles. Best Bet: Green gets the early nod, with Isaac right behind him to start the year. Johnson could still be the frontrunner to regain the starting job if he returns to health. WIDE RECEIVER This year's group was inconsistent at best. Junior Devin Funchess will leave for the NFL Draft, and while he played through some injuries, his effort seemed lackluster at times (es- pecially on the blocking end), and he never seemed fully invested. He scored four touchdowns to go with 733 receiving yards and was a big target, though, so someone will have to take his place. Redshirt sophomore Amara Dar- boh caught 36 passes for 473 yards and seems a lock to start after leading the team with 13.1 yards per catch. He's more of a complementary type to a No. 1, and the same label applies to redshirt sophomore Jehu Chesson, who caught only 14 passes for 154 yards this year, and junior slot Den- nis Norfleet (111 yards, 7.4 per catch). Playmaking might have to come from the unprovens, starting with freshman Freddy Canteen. He dropped some balls, but he has speed and should improve. Freshman Drake Harris was a big-play talent out of Grand Rapids before getting hurt (hamstring) and has great po- tential, while redshirt Maurice Ways also impressed in some scrimmages. Best Bet: Darboh, Chesson and Norfleet will be the first three on the field, but watch for Harris and Ways to make moves. Sophomore Da'Mario Jones will be in the mix, and Canteen could break out if he becomes more consistent. TIGHT END This wasn't a position of strength this year, especially when redshirt freshman Khalid Hill (four catches, 37 yards) went down with a season- ending knee injury in game six. Sophomore Jake Butt (21 catches, 211 yards, two touchdowns) should have been more of a threat in the pass- ing game, and junior A.J. Williams (four catches, 33 yards) was always a blocker first — ditto redshirt ju- nior Keith Heitzman (two catches, 32 yards, one touchdown). Jake Butt made 21 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore, and U-M will look for those numbers to rise next season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN