Three Michigan freshmen who will play on offense: 'We'll find a role to use them'
Michigan Wolverines football is quite loaded on offense, especially at receiver and tight end. U-M brings back eight players who racked up 148 or more receiving yards, plus graduate Ronnie Bell, the team’s leader in receiving yards in 2019 and 2020, but there are potential roles for the Maize and Blue’s trio of talented freshman wideouts, too.
Michigan brought in four-stars Darrius Clemons and Tyler Morris and three-star Amorion Walker, all of whom enrolled early in the spring. All three impressed back then, too, and while Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said it’s much harder to stand out in fall camp, it appears the group has done so to this point.
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Co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss explained that the Michigan staff is feeling out how they can best use the “freak show,” as Harbaugh has put it.
“Those guys all have bright futures, the three freshmen — Amorion and Tyler and Darrius,” Weiss said Sunday. “All three of them are going to play. If we can find a role for them where they can help us, they’ll do that.”
All three have specific skill sets that are unique. Clemons is a big-bodied receiver at 6-3, 214 pounds, but also has high-level speed, as shown in the spring game, when he hauled in a highlight-reel 35-yard touchdown reception.
Morris, on the other hand, is more shifty and quick, and could excel in the slot right away. Senior Mike Sainristil started at that position last season, but he’s taking 80 percent of his practice snaps on defense after moving into the secondary this spring. Junior A.J. Henning is the favorite to start in the slot for Michigan, but Morris could carve out a role.
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Walker is wiry at 6-3, 180 pounds, but can glide and has been described by his teammates as speedy.
“Right now, obviously, it’s week one of training camp and they’re trying to learn the offense and we’re trying to see what they can do really well and how to use them,” the Michigan coordinator said. “There are guys ahead of them on the depth chart. But they all have bright futures. You talk about guys that are ‘our types of guys,’ those are three guys who fit here. They’re going to be successful. Guys that are all football, great guys. Those guys are going to be good, and we’ll find a role to use them, any way we can.”
“The wide receivers are really talented — Darrius, Tyler, Amorion,” Michigan senior quarterback Cade McNamara explained at Big Ten Media Days. “These guys are good. From the youngest guys to the ones that are waiting to take their opportunity, I’m going to let them do that themselves, and I can’t wait for them to do it.”
Michigan’s offense was predicated on a strong run game last season, but the Wolverines are looking to expand their attack this fall. With some of the same key players, one might think the offense will look the same, but the experience and talent level will allow U-M to open it up more.
“The personnel is similar in that it’s a lot of the same guys,” Weiss said. “Certainly, we hope that all of our players are improved. And that’s going to allow us to be more effective — with better players, even though they’re the same players — and to do more. Certainly, you’re going to see very similar personnel since they’re kind of the same guys.”
