ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While Michigan football’s wide receiver room is loaded with talent — the group didn’t lose anyone this offseason and will return team captain and standout Ronnie Bell this fall — the room has also added three true freshmen who have the capability to help the team right away.
It’s difficult to pick which of the three could be the most capable; Jim Harbaugh said in December that Darrius Clemons is like another version of Nico Collins, Amorion Walker also has both size and speed, while 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong had once noted that Tyler Morris would have been more highly thought of had he not been injured for his senior year — though he was still a four-star recruit.
This spring, all three have been mentioned in the same breath, and all three have been praised for their playmaking ability already, just a few months into their college careers. But how do the established wideouts view them?
On Thursday, third-year receiver A.J. Henning met with the media and shared what he thinks this younger group brings to both the team as well as the unit as a whole.
“I think a lot of versatility. I think each one has unique qualities that make them different, and they bring huge playmaking ability to our room,” Henning said. “You have the bigger receiver in Darrius — he’s fast as well. Amorion, he has elusiveness and he’s quick, too. And Tyler, he has the quick twitchy speed as well.
“So they’re all huge playmakers and bring different personalities and different attributes to our room.”
While speed is great — we heard for years about the benefits of ‘speed in space’ — perhaps the most important thing is actually making plays. The good news? Henning says that all three are doing just that thus far in spring ball.
“They all bring different traits to their game and they all have been stepping up in big ways,” Henning said. “A lot of things that I’ve seen from them is playmaking ability and what they can do after the catch. They have speed and that makes them playmakers.”
Fans will get their first taste of the freshman wide receiver trio on April 2, when Michigan football hosts its annual spring game at noon EDT at The Big House.
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