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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — As the leader in the clubhouse with the most returning production for Michigan football at the wide receiver position, much is expected of Ronnie Bell as he enters his junior season. However, he gets somewhat overshadowed to some degree by Nico Collins.
Collins had announced in early January that he would be returning for his senior season, but made an unexpected departure from the program this offseason as the Big Ten waffled on whether or not it would have a 2020 fall season. Collins didn’t make any announcement about opting out, having quietly signed with an agent.
Now, Michigan is looking to get him back in the fold, but the question of whether or not he’ll return remains unanswered. However, to ask Bell, he’s doing the best he can to make peace with Collins’ decision if he remains opted out.
“I’ve talked with Nico,” Bell said. “Not much about what he’s got going – he’s doing what he’s doing for his journey and whatnot. I’m happy for him, of course. I’m never gonna second-guess him with whatever he’s got going on. I’m all 10 toes with whatever he’s got.
“Our room with him, of course, would be better. He’s one of the best receivers – personally, I’ve ever been around, one of the best receivers. Of course not having him, I’m kinda bummed. But, you know – our room is still very good, though. I’m not discouraged or anything like that about going out there without No. 4. Of course having Nico, it would be huge. He’s a very, very talented receiver.”
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It’s not just that Collins is potentially gone, but so are Donovan Peoples-Jones — who was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth-round — and Tarik Black — who transferred to Texas this offseason.
With those players no longer on the roster, Bell knows he’ll likely have to take on an increased role in the offense, even with the emergence of Michigan’s second-year receivers in Giles Jackson, Mike Sainristil and Cornelius Johnson. Personally, Bell has worked specifically on decreasing drops — he dropped eight balls in 2019 according to PFF — while increasing his speed overall.
As the Big Ten’s leader in yards after catch, Bell could be particularly electric if he diversifies his game outside of the slot.
“I definitely think this year I’ll move around more than I did last year. I (respect) all those guys’ steps as well,” Bell said. “Those guys are all great guys as well. I’m just ready for whatever Coach needs me to be, whatever I need to be. That’s just the role I’m gonna attack. Whether that’s slot, outside, both or whatever he wants. That’s how I’m gonna prepare and that’s how I’ve always prepared.”
Additionally, now Bell is the wily veteran — which shows how much time flies. It seemed like days ago when he was reeling in his first career touchdown against Nebraska in Week Four of the 2018 season.
Now he’s the elder voice in the room, and he’s looking to impart wisdom upon the younger generation.
“In the last year or so, I guess I realized it more, especially with all those guys gone now,” Bell said. “I’m low key kinda old. All the younger guys, every day in practice, I just want to show them the effort it takes, whether you get the ball or not, when you’re out there blocking on the edge – I just want to show the guys the intensity you have to play with. Especially with the tall guys leaving. We’re not as tall anymore! So we’ve definitely gotta be more feisty than what we were.”
So who’s been impressing Bell thus far in fall camp? Two have stood out to him and they’re both from the 2019 class.
“I’ve been most impressed with everybody,” Bell said. “Everybody – like I said before, mentally, everybody has just grown and you can see they’ve grown so much. Just mentally in the playbook and being to play everywhere.
“For guys to be able to make a jump, definitely C.J. – Cornelius Johnson and Mikey Sainristil – both of those guys have been just dominant this offseason and this little preseason we’ve been taking care of.”
Given that much of the offseason hype has surrounded Giles Jackson, it’s a positive to hear both Sainristil and Johnson mentioned, as both will need to be key pieces in the offense moving forward.
Offensive coordinator Josh Gattis exclaimed that they’ll certainly be featured in 2020, but what’s allowed them to make that jump from year one to year two?
Maturity is playing a big part in their emergence, Bell says.
“I think the biggest thing for those guys is mentally – knowing everything about the playbook and they know the work we put in, not necessarily together, but on your own in the offseason,” Bell said. “Especially mentally, those guys have turned it up quite a bit to take on bigger roles and be able to play every position on the field. I feel like their freshman year, all of them were focused in on one thing, and from their freshman year to right now, you can tell mentally they’re very sharp and dissect the whole offense.”
But they’re not the only ones that could make a big impact in 2020.
Michigan brought in two veritable speedsters this year in A.J. Henning and Roman Wilson, first-year players that should get even more of an opportunity due to the late start.
When it comes to their speed, Bell says it’s obvious.
“You definitely can see it, coming off the ball and whatnot,” Bell said. “You notice when a guy is really fast just how they explode off the ball and they’ve got whatever route they have going on – their first 3-4 steps. You can just see the speed in those guys.”
We’ll see all of the above in action in exactly one month when Michigan heads to Minnesota for the Oct. 24 season opener.
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