Why Michigan says it needs transfer portal help at wide receiver after spring game
ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines completed their spring camp on Saturday with a 17-7 Maize victory over the Blue team in Ann Arbor. What comes after is an evaluation of the roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
The transfer portal is open through April 30, and Maize head coach and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell shot down the idea Michigan could add a portal quarterback pretty emphatically, but there is still an opportunity to add and augment.
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One of the positions that Michigan seems a slam dunk to target is wide receiver. After offseason attrition, they entered Saturday’s split-squad scrimmage with only five scholarship wideouts on the roster – senior Peyton O’Leary, junior Tyler Morris and sophomores Fredrick Moore, Semaj Morgan and Kendrick Bell.
Campbell likes the room but knows that at the very least, depth is needed. The Wolverines are in the mix for UCLA transfer wideout Kyle Ford, but that board should expand now that spring camp is over.
“I think we’ve got some explosive guys. And obviously, I think it’s a top-loaded room,” Campell said. “We need to get some guys to help out there. We probably will look at some guys in that position… how many, I’m not sure.
“We just don’t even have numbers. You look at the roster depth, you need enough guys. Hamstring injuries are going to happen, quad injuries. So we just got to make sure we have enough guys to field the roster.”
Moore, who is projected to be one of the breakout performers for the Wolverines this fall, likes the room and appreciates the competition. But did note that reinforcements could help.
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“The depth is light right now. We [had a few wide receivers enter] the portal],” Moore said after the game. “We’re still strong though. We don’t have that many numbers, but we are still strong. We still have guys who gonna step up and do their job. But it’s tough.
“The legs be burning at practice. It’s only five or six of us. So we just stay strong, stay mentally healthy. [Coach Ron Bellamy] works with us. So we don’t have as many reps where we just run in a hundred yards, down, back, down, back, running routes in and out. So he helped us with that. He’s cut practice time, cut some periods some, and just really been beneficial for us.
“For all of us and I feel as though we are a strong group and we don’t want to get off the field,” Moore said. “We’re competing too. So it feels like all my guys are dogs and they just want to stay on the field so we don’t worry about the reps. We made the reps count. I feel as though we can get some help. I know coaches want us to get help.
“At the same time, if we don’t get help, we’re still gonna be good anyway.”
Moore is positioned for a breakout role, and had two catches for 76 yards – including a 48-yard touchdown – on Saturday. The scrimmage what the culmination of a ton of his hard work.
“I’ve been in the weight room a lot, and I’ve been on my nutrition a lot,” Moore said. “My nutrition wasn’t that good last year. I was not eating as much. Having a high metabolism, what I eat, it just burns off, so just really eating consistently every day, and just working on my vision in the game, slowing it down for myself, see the coverage and know how to execute my plays.”
