Final 2024 Michigan football preseason position analysis: Wide Receiver

Primer

With Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson gone, there isn’t a lot of returning production from a pass-catcher standpoint. Tyler Morris has 16 catches for 222 yards and one touchdown in two seasons, Semaj Morgan has 22 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns, Fredrick Moore has four catches for 32 yards, Amorion Walker has one catch for four yards, and Peyton O’Leary has three catches for 17 yards and one touchdown. Kendrick Bell doesn’t have any catches yet but looked amazing in the spring game, and the Wolverines brought in C.J. Charleston, a productive receiver from the FCS level at Youngstown State. Two freshmen could see time in Channing Goodwin and I’Marion Stewart.

Projected starters: Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, Fredrick Moore

Rotation: Amorion Walker, Peyton O’Leary, Kendrick Bell, C.J. Charleston

Position outlook

Morris and Morgan will get the nod in two-receiver sets and Moore will likely be the first addition in three-receiver sets. Walker and Bell will be used to stretch the field as they’re the ones who have length, and O’Leary — a walk-on who has gotten a ton of hype in previous fall camps — will also likely see some action. Charleston will likely be the reserve in the slot. We may also see the freshmen, and they have an opportunity for early playing time, but they’ll have to earn it by making big plays with the limited snaps that they get.

This may be the most precarious position group on the entire team, and it hinges strongly on the quarterback selection. But if the quarterback-receiver battery can be figured out, Michigan will likely be breathing rarefied air again this year — but the team’s success is heavily dependent on that working out.