ESPN's biggest question about Michigan football isn't what you think
The Michigan Wolverines head into the 2024 season with a major question at quarterback, but that might not be the biggest concern for some ahead of the new campaign. ESPN recently put out a list of the top concerns for teams in the preseason top 25, with Michigan’s coming in the form of the wide receiver room.
The Wolverines have a ton of production to replace with Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson now in the NFL, and that led to the four-letter network proclaiming a concern about how the starting quarterback, whether it be junior Alex Orji, graduate Jack Tuttle or otherwise, will be supported.
“The Wolverines have a wide-open quarterback competition heading into the fall, but they also have big questions at receiver,” ESPN’s Jake Trotter writes. “All-American tight end Colston Loveland will ease the pressure on the receivers. Tyler Morris, who only had 13 catches last season, will need to have a big year as the headliner of a relatively unproven group that includes Semaj Morgan, Fredrick Moore, Kendrick Bell and Youngstown State transfer C.J. Charleston, among others.”
Michigan thinks it has a pair of future stars in Morris and Morgan, but could Charleston and returning transfer Amorion Walker raise the level of the room? Orji seems to think so, he told The Wolverine this week.
“If we can count Amorion, I would say that he caught my eye [this offseason],” Orji said. “Even if he didn’t leave, it’s hard for a guy like him not to [draw attention]. Just the things he’s able to do with his body, his frame and with his talent and capabilities. He’s a guy that you just put the ball in his hands and you let him do whatever you want on the football field. He’s a guy who is going to make things happen.
“[Youngstown State WR transfer] C.J. [Charleston] has been a really interesting guy to be around. He doesn’t say a lot, he’s one of the quieter guys but the things he’s able to do from the slot and the outside with the ball in his hands is ridiculous. The amount of shift that he has and his quickness and agility are really up there. It’s [similar to guys] like Semaj Morgan and Tyler Morris, who can make a move in a phone booth and are super quick and interesting to look at.”
Michigan will start to answer these questions in fall camp, which is set to kick off on July 31 in Ann Arbor. Ahead of that, the Wolverines will send a contingent of head coach Sherrone Moore, running back Donovan Edwards, fullback Max Bredeson and defensive back Makari Paige to Big Ten Football Media Days in Indianapolis with their turn coming on July 25.
