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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- While all eyes for Michigan football are on the quarterback position, that position is highly dependent on how the wide receivers perform. And the Wolverines don't exactly have a lot of names in the wideout room that are of the household variety.
That's the challenge for new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who has to determine who the best pass catchers are. The good news for the Wolverines is that the 15 spring ball practices will allow him to evaluate just where they are before the team embarks on fall camp in August.
On Monday, Lindsey met with the media in Ann Arbor for the first time and he shared his thoughts on the room and what he's expecting to see now that spring ball has started in earnest on Tuesday.
"I think my challenge to those guys has been like, who's gonna be the playmaker? We gotta figure that out," Lindsey said. "Like, who do we need to get the ball to? And it's a great opportunity this spring for those guys to get a lot of reps and get a lot of balls.
"And then who can make one-on-one contested catches? Who can get open versus tight coverage? Who can play the position at a high level? Because when you really get into game planning and things, I think that's what you do as a coordinator. Like, who do we need to get the ball to and how do we do it? And we gotta figure out who those guys are.
"And we're hoping somebody will step to the front, and that's what we're banking on. And that's why spring ball is so fun. It's just an opportunity to put them out there and let them play. Not a lot of thinking, let's just go play and compete every day and see what happens."
While there are a number of returning receivers with experience (Semaj Morgan, Peyton O'Leary, and Kendrick Bell), the oft-injured Amorion Walker, the two sophomores (Channing Goodwin and I'Marion Stewart), and two freshmen (Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder), the most experienced in the room this spring is Indiana transfer (and former quarterback) Donaven McCulley.
McCulley was a standout in Bloomington in 2023 but wasn't a part of new coach Curt Cignetti's plan last year. Thus, the 6-foot-5 wideout opted to transfer early in the year while retaining his year of eligibility.
Lindsey shares what he likes about his potential, having seen some improvement in winter conditioning alone.
"Yeah, McCulley's been, I mean, he's a long athletic guy that's somewhat of a veteran guy, a little bit older," Lindsey said. "And just watching him move around in the drill work, stuff that Tress and those guys do with him, he can really sink his hips and get in and out of breaks, which I think's a bit -- really, for a tall guy, sometimes it's a hard thing to do.
"But I've been really impressed with that. We know he can catch the football. That's something that he's shown and proved on film. So he brings us a little more length in that room and excited about him, ready to get him out on the field. And again, the challenge for him, I think, is just you gotta go win the one-on-ones. That's what your job is. If he plays X, those guys are usually to the boundary and get a lot more press and so forth. So I think that's what we're looking for, really, from him."
Spring ball started on Tuesday with the annual spring game set for a month from Wednesday, on April 19.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football wide receiver spring ball outlook
Continue reading...
That's the challenge for new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who has to determine who the best pass catchers are. The good news for the Wolverines is that the 15 spring ball practices will allow him to evaluate just where they are before the team embarks on fall camp in August.
On Monday, Lindsey met with the media in Ann Arbor for the first time and he shared his thoughts on the room and what he's expecting to see now that spring ball has started in earnest on Tuesday.
"I think my challenge to those guys has been like, who's gonna be the playmaker? We gotta figure that out," Lindsey said. "Like, who do we need to get the ball to? And it's a great opportunity this spring for those guys to get a lot of reps and get a lot of balls.
"And then who can make one-on-one contested catches? Who can get open versus tight coverage? Who can play the position at a high level? Because when you really get into game planning and things, I think that's what you do as a coordinator. Like, who do we need to get the ball to and how do we do it? And we gotta figure out who those guys are.
"And we're hoping somebody will step to the front, and that's what we're banking on. And that's why spring ball is so fun. It's just an opportunity to put them out there and let them play. Not a lot of thinking, let's just go play and compete every day and see what happens."
While there are a number of returning receivers with experience (Semaj Morgan, Peyton O'Leary, and Kendrick Bell), the oft-injured Amorion Walker, the two sophomores (Channing Goodwin and I'Marion Stewart), and two freshmen (Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder), the most experienced in the room this spring is Indiana transfer (and former quarterback) Donaven McCulley.
McCulley was a standout in Bloomington in 2023 but wasn't a part of new coach Curt Cignetti's plan last year. Thus, the 6-foot-5 wideout opted to transfer early in the year while retaining his year of eligibility.
Lindsey shares what he likes about his potential, having seen some improvement in winter conditioning alone.
"Yeah, McCulley's been, I mean, he's a long athletic guy that's somewhat of a veteran guy, a little bit older," Lindsey said. "And just watching him move around in the drill work, stuff that Tress and those guys do with him, he can really sink his hips and get in and out of breaks, which I think's a bit -- really, for a tall guy, sometimes it's a hard thing to do.
"But I've been really impressed with that. We know he can catch the football. That's something that he's shown and proved on film. So he brings us a little more length in that room and excited about him, ready to get him out on the field. And again, the challenge for him, I think, is just you gotta go win the one-on-ones. That's what your job is. If he plays X, those guys are usually to the boundary and get a lot more press and so forth. So I think that's what we're looking for, really, from him."
Spring ball started on Tuesday with the annual spring game set for a month from Wednesday, on April 19.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football wide receiver spring ball outlook
Continue reading...
