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Sherrone Moore throws on buffs after Michigan stuns Alabama
Sherrone Moore throws on the buffs after Michigan upset Alabama 19-13 in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.
- Michigan football’s wide receivers struggled significantly in 2024, with no player reaching 250 receiving yards or catching more than two touchdowns.
- The Wolverines’ entire receiving corps was statistically outperformed by numerous individual receivers across the nation.
- New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s scheme and the addition of transfer Donaven McCulley aim to improve the passing game in 2025.
All told, it would be difficult for Michigan football wide receivers to be less productive in 2025 than in 2024.
The Wolverines did not have a single wideout amass 250 yards — not even 20 yards a game — for the season. Nor did U-M’s wideout room have a single player catch more than two touchdowns, average better than 2.1 catches per game or haul in a 40-yard catch. Indeed, U-M was the only team in America without a single reception of at least 40 yards —the two longest catches of the year came from tight ends, and neither topped 36 yards.
Indeed, just one U-M wideout had a catch for more than 30 yards: Semaj Morgan’s 31-yard touchdown grab against Texas’ third string secondary when U-M trailed 31-6 in the closing minutes of Week 2 last season.
Over 13 games, every Michigan wide receiver on the team combined for 83 receptions for 742 yards and five touchdowns — fewer catches than 12 individual wideouts nationally, fewer yards than 100 wideouts nationally and fewer TDs than 103 wideouts.
In other words, Michigan’s entire wide receiver corps was outplayed by dozens of individuals across the nation. But the good news headed into 2025? The only direction to go is up.
Not only is new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s scheme a better fit on paper for wide receivers, but the group also looks more talented, and no matter who is getting them the ball, it figures to be an improvement from the quarterback carousel a season ago.
“We’re excited, we just feel like our skills are older,” wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy said on May 31 at the National College Showcase at Wayne State University. “Feel like we’ve created some competition in our room, the kids had a really good spring, stayed healthy and the boys are ready to get back to work.”
The main addition to the room is 6-foot-5, 205-pound Donaven McCulley. The former Indiana standout who moved from quarterback to wide receiver had his best season in 2023, with 48 catches for 644 yards and six scores.
He arrived in Ann Arbor in the winter to start getting acclimated to his new situation. Beyond his abilities on the field, Bellamy implied he has emerged as the alpha in the room, something that was lacking a season ago.
“He’s had a really good spring, getting himself adjusted with everything — new system and teammates,” Bellamy said. “Experienced guy, unbelievable person and I think his leadership and presence alone will help our room grow.”
U-M’s wideouts from a season ago have grown as well. Morgan told the Free Press he “can’t wait, for real” to start exploring the new system under offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who took over after one year of Kirk Campbell calling plays.
Morgan and Fredrick Moore, who had three grabs for 37 yards and a touchdown in December’s ReliaQuest Bowl, are now upperclassmen who are expected to take the next step.
Another person who fits that mold, though he’s new, is Anthony Simpson, a transfer from UMass. He is undersized like Morgan, standing 5 feet 11 and 180 pounds, but he’s twitchy and had an impressive 2023 campaign in which he had 57 grabs for 792 yards and three scores.
“Explosive,” Bellamy said. “Explosive in moves. Obviously, he’s an older guy, too. We want to get some experienced guys that have experience playing football, (so) we took two older guys in the portal this winter cycle.”
For all the excitement around some of the older pass catchers, there’s intrigue surrounding a pair of incoming freshman: 6-4 Jamar Browder and 6-1 Andrew Marsh, who is U-M’s highest-ranked wide receiver recruit since Donovan Peoples-Jones nearly a decade ago.
But the real reason for the added juice this season isn’t just the targets, but who’s calling the shots. Lindsey’s offenses have averaged better than 30 points in nine of the 12 years he’s called plays. Two years ago, his offense at North Carolina ranked No. 7 nationally in yards per game (491.2) as it ranked in the top 20 both in passing at 292.2 yards per game (14th) and rushing (192.1, 19th) per contest with NFL first-round pick Drake Maye under center.
Bellamy feels that having Lindsey call plays will be good for his position group, but also pointed to those stats to demonstrate why he’s still a good fit for the overall scheme.
“You’ll have more explosives,” Bellamy said about the most exciting aspect of Lindsey’s style. “If you follow Chip’s career, you know he’s a balanced guy, but you know he’s going to take his shots down the field. Super excited about that.
“It’s just a little different brand of football, but we’re still Michigan, we’re still going to run the football, still going to throw the football, we’re going to be balanced and going to play complementary ball.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
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