Mike Sainristil and Cornelius Johnson
Whether Collins stays or goes, you can’t just have two receivers on the field. Of course, Michigan will also turn to two true freshmen at the position, but there are two others who are entering their second-years who could play big roles: Mike Sainristil and Cornelius Johnson.
The duo get somewhat left out in the hype, but Gattis is quite enthusiastic about what both bring to the table, saying they’re going to be pivotal pieces in Michigan’s offense in 2020.
“Those guys are gonna have great years,” Gattis said. “I’m really excited about Mikey and C.J. Those guys – it’s unfortunate, because those guys, they were talented enough to be on the field even last year. They both made plays as true freshman and played as true freshmen. Just the numbers game of how many guys were getting involved in the offense last year. They gained some valuable experience, obviously playing in in-game action. But being able to see everything translate over. There’s always a jump from year one to year two, and to see those guys make that jump now in the offseason from a skills standpoint has been really impressive.
“Those guys are gonna have a big-time impact on the offense. They’re making a ton of plays. They’re so technique and fundamentally sound. And that’s the thing that stands out about Mikey and C.J. is the technique and fundamentals that they play with. Both of them are blessed with a tremendous skillset.”
While we’ll have to see what the aforementioned players do, it will be up to others beyond them to make the offense work: quarterback Joe Milton and a new-look offensive line.
However, with the praise that they’re all generating early, it seems that Michigan is either on-schedule or ahead of it at wideout.