Jay Harbaugh dishes on loaded Michigan return, coverage teams

Michigan assistant Jay Harbaugh has coordinated one of the best special teams groups in the country the last few years, and it appears this year will be no exception. In addition to an elite kicking game, the Wolverines are expected to be elite in returns and coverage again in 2022. 

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There are playmakers everywhere, and head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t afraid to use them. After Ronnie Bell went down in the Michigan opener with WMU last year, for example, A.J. Henning stepped in. He excelled after a bit of a learning curve and provided a huge boost in several games, including the win over Ohio State. 

That they were able to adapt after Bell’s loss was a testament to all involved, Jay Harbaugh said Wednesday. 

“That was major for us … he’s so good at catching punts,” the Michigan assistant said. “Super reliable. Very comfortable back there, has some experience doing it. Great decision maker … very savvy. 

“We had a little bit of a hole in the roster where we had talented guys, but didn’t have game experience. When he went down last year, we ended up with Andrel [Anthony], Caden Kolesar, and A.J. two games after that. But you need reps to get good at fielding balls in games and making decisions and all that. That had a very big impact on us, as well.”

Bell told reporters he’d be returning punts this year, as well. Jim Harbaugh, however, said Henning would be the guy there to start out. He had some shaky moments last year but worked hard on the craft in the offseason and is explosive with the ball in his hands. 

Michigan junior Roman Wilson set to return kicks 

Likewise, receiver Roman Wilson has the ability to be an elite returner, and he’ll get his shot on kickoffs. He’s one of the fastest players on the team.

“It is crowded. We have several guys we would be totally comfortable being in there,” Jay Harbaugh said of the Michigan kick returners. “Roman, he’s just tremendous. His focus in this camp has been on another level. He was a good player for us last year, a guy who we really loved, and he’s managed to even take it up a notch. He really bought into what we’re doing, learning the schemes, being very critical of himself, perfecting all the little things technique wise, detail-wise in that role. 

“Behind him, guys like A.J. Henning, Isaiah Gash, Eamonn Dennis — we have a bunch of guys we feel like [are] a legitimate threat back there that we trust to have the ball in their hands. We’re fortunate for that, and excited to see those guys get some work — hopefully not too many opportunities, but we’re excited to watch it.”

Last year, Michigan had the best special teams in the country according to some services with different formulas to measure. The kicking game should be elite (more on that soon) with veteran punter Brad Robbins and kicker Jake Moody. 

Harbaugh takes pride in all aspects of it, one of the reasons Michigan is expected to be among the nation’s top units again.

“We try to be a really, really self-critical unit and team in general. We want to be a team that loves the brutal facts,” Harbaugh said. “Looking in the mirror every single day and just confirming, this is exactly what we need to do better — this is what we’re not doing well enough. I think the really great players and teams are like that. They crave that brutal honestly. 

“We had some success last year, but we didn’t play nearly well enough in some of the bigger games. Also, there was a lot of opportunity for big plays we left on the field. We’ve been very hard on ourselves this offseason. We want to take what we did last year and make it even better.”

They’ll get their chance starting Saturday when Michigan opens with Colorado State in Ann Arbor.