Tag: A.J. Henning

Top three punt returners in the Big Ten for 2023

Does Ohio State have the best punt returner in the Big Ten?

We previously discussed that the Big Ten has some potential at kick returner, but no sure-fire star, but at punt returner there are enough studs to make this selection relatively hard. Projecting who is going to be the top stars on special teams is a tough task considering that most teams don’t want their regular offensive and defensive contributors to risk injury on kick or punt returns.

As expected an Ohio State Buckeye makes an appearance in the top spot and it should be no secret as they have a future first-rounder returning punts. An Iowa Hawkeye also makes an appearance as well as a new transfer at Northwestern. Let’s dive into the top three punt returners in the Big Ten for the 2023 season.

Top three kick returners in the Big Ten for 2023

No Buckeyes on this list, but the competition is elite #GoBucks #B1G

The Big Ten has some intriguing athletes and predicting who the top kick returners will be is a bit of a challenging task because many teams don’t want consistent offensive or defensive starters to line up back there. The Big Ten simply lacks prominent stars at kick returner this year.

The top choice we have on this list is pretty evident given the accolades earned last season, but the other two choices are electric athletes who could see less time on special teams and are a bit more of a role of the dice here. Enough discussing it, let’s dive into the top three kick returners in the Big Ten for the 2023 season.

Former Michigan football WR A.J. Henning stays in-conference for transfer destination

Best of luck to him. #GoBlue

It wasn’t exactly a surprise that Michigan football lost wide receiver and kick/punt returner A.J. Henning to the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.

He was something of a featured player on offense in 2021. Then last offseason was filled with hype that he was going to be a Deebo Samuel-type  player for the Wolverines in 2022. Instead, not only did his production drop, but also his utilization plummeted.

As a result, the Chicago native decided to look elsewhere, entering the transfer portal shortly after the spring game in 2023.

It turns out, he’s moving closer to home. Taking to Twitter, Henning announced he’s committing to Northwestern.

In 2022, Henning had nine catches for 60 yards, three rushing attempts for nine yards, and 28 punt returns for 201 yards and a touchdown. He also had 11 kick returns for 241 yards. Kick returns aside, that’s a drop-off from 2021 when he had 10 catches for 79 yards and nine rushing attempts for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

He’ll have two years of eligibility in Evanston.

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Michigan loses multiple players to transfer portal on Monday

What is going on in Ann Arbor? #GoBucks

The rivalry between [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] and Michigan is alive and well. While we all keep an eye on what is happening in Buckeye Nation, there is a wandering eye on what is happening in Ann Arbor.

Today hasn’t been the best day for our rivals on the transfer portal front. Just this early afternoon, two contributors, one each on offense and defense, have entered the portal and will leave.

Both of them figure to leave the Wolverines with holes to fill at their respective positions. Find out below which two Michigan players have entered the portal and will move on along with the impact of their decisions.

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Five takeaways: Michigan football defeats UConn

Pure domination by Michigan! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — No. 4 Michigan played its third-straight home game to start the season and on Saturday the Wolverines hosted the 1-2 Connecticut Huskies.

Michigan thrashed UConn, 59-0, in its last game before Big Ten play starts next week. The Wolverines had their first shutout of the season.

The Wolverines took a 38-0 lead at halftime and it was smooth sailing in the second half — or maybe it was after a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.

Michigan played its starters for the first series in the second half before turning it over to the backups. The J.J. McCarthy-led Wolverines totaled 467 yards of total offense and the Wolverines’ defense created havoc against a lowly UConn Huskies team. The maize and blue only allowed 110 yards of total offense to the Huskies and Michigan recovered a ‘non-forced’ fumble by UConn.

Both Alex Orji and Alan Bowman come in during the second half to lead touchdown drives, and Leon Franklin had his first-career rushing touchdown. It was a great day for the Wolverines that don’t see the field much. The maize and blue played eight different quarterbacks.

Here are our five takeaways after Michigan defeated UConn on Saturday.

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Michigan football has wealth of versatile options at offensive skill positions

Anyone who doesn’t know these guys’ names now will very soon. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Though they both were on the offense a year ago, expect bigger things from two players, one of which is considered a wide receiver, while the other is thought of as a running back. However, neither are particularly limited to their respective positions.

Wide receiver A.J. Henning had the longest rushing touchdown of the season last year, a 74-yard end-around in Week 1 against Western Michigan. Running back Donovan Edwards had the most receiving yards in a game in 2021 for the Wolverines, reeling in 10 catches for 170 yards against Maryland. He also threw a 75-yard bomb in the Big Ten championship game for a touchdown. These may be antithetical to the roles generally espoused by their position groups, but that shows just how dynamic some of the weapons the maize and blue has.

Last year wasn’t Henning’s first year, but it was his first real extended playing time, whereas Edwards was a freshman in 2021 and just getting his feet wet. Expect both to really amp things up in 2022, now that they’re both a bit more seasoned.

“Obviously I had Donovan in high school, we used him out as a receiver. So that trade is carried on into college,” wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy, who previously was the head coach at West Bloomfield, said. “And then you go back and look at A.J.s high school film, he played a lot of running back. A.J. moved all over the field, played a little quarterback. So those two guys, they can do a multitude of things. And you don’t miss a beat. And like I said, they both are explosive, both great, but with the ball in their hands. And the thing is, they both have a high-level understanding of football. And you could do a lot of creative things when you have guys with that skill set.”

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With Edwards in particular, he’s expected to really take off now that it’s his second year and the depth chart is a little more amenable with Hassan Haskins off to the NFL. In WolverinesWire’s conversation with Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, the premier college broadcaster shared that Edwards is one of his ‘dark horse Heisman candidates,’ assuredly not because he’s exclusively an elusive back.

Edwards’ ability as a receiver started to be cultivated in high school, Bellamy says, and once he gets the ball in his hands, that’s when he can really make things happen.

“One of the things when I had him in high school, he had a bad injury his sophomore year,” Bellamy said. “And one of the things I knew how talented he was, I knew he was a guy that’s going to be a high-level college recruit. And I vowed to him that we’re going to protect them. And we just found various ways to get him to football, everything didn’t have to be inside to tackle box. So, we trained him up as a receiver. And we thought that he can be a top 10 receiver in the nation, just as well as he was as a running back. And I think, he took to that and here he is today. He has that skill set.”

For Michigan, it’s a quality problem to have so many riches on the offensive side of the ball. Henning will be deployed more like Deebo Samuel, while Edwards can create all other kinds of problems for opposing teams. In fact, the Wolverines put Edwards and Henning on the field for the same play on the first touchdown drive against Ohio State last year, and the Buckeyes paid such close attention to Edwards that it opened up the sweep for Henning to run in for the score.

Expect that to amp up even more in 2022, as both are now a bit more seasoned and can do various things not confined to the beset roles expected of their position groups.

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Top five returning punt returning leaders in the Big Ten

Top five returning punt returning leaders in the Big Ten #GoBucks

The NFL draft is in the books and the annual spring games have come to an end across the Big Ten and it is time to start diving into who to watch and what to expect during the 2022 season. We already dove into the top five returning rushers, passers, receivers, overall scorers and kick return leaders in the Big Ten, but in addition to the top kick returners, I wanted to break down the top returning punt returners.

Many of the names on this punt return list will match those on the kick return list, but it is still interesting how these names are shuffled.

Let’s get into it.

Why the trio of freshman WRs are impressing A.J. Henning

These guys could all be year-one contributors! #GoBlue

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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Jim Harbaugh updates various injuries after Indiana game

Definitely some good news in here!

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The injury bug hit Michigan football hard on Saturday night when it took on Indiana. While there have been some big injuries throughout the year — from Ronnie Bell in the season opener to Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter missing some time to Erick All and Donovan Edwards not playing on Saturday — several more key players went out against the Hoosiers.

Collectively, Jim Harbaugh is confident that the team will return healthier this next week when it travels to Penn State.

“Get some guys healthier next week and go about having good days,” Harbaugh said. “Good days will be the goal now as we go down the stretch. Good day of meetings, good day of practice, and then go play the game.”

The big injury on Saturday was to Blake Corum, who left the game and the sidelines and returned in street clothes and in a walking boot.

Harbaugh says that he’s not sure the extent of his injury, but he doesn’t imagine that it’s anything serious at this juncture.

“We’ll see. After the game, talked to him for a little bit,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know how — I don’t think it’s serious, I don’t know if it’s mild. But it’s somewhere less than serious — we’ll see.”

But he wasn’t the only one.

Gemon Green, Andrel Anthony and A.J. Henning also left the game in the second half with injuries and did not return. But Harbaugh feels like there’s a good chance that they’ll also be back next week.

“Yeah, there were a couple guys that were out this game that I think we’ll get back, get healthier next week,” Harbaugh said. “Just do a good job of putting good day on top of good day as we get ready for Penn State.

“I’m hopeful! I don’t know for sure. If they can heal like the Green brothers do — both those Green brothers, Gemon and German Green, I’ve been with them for four years now, and nobody I’ve ever seen in football heals quicker than the Green brothers. It’s amazing, it’s amazing. So, hopefully — I know the Greens will! I’m confident of that!”

As for the quarterback position, Harbaugh notes that Cade McNamara did somewhat re-aggravate the injury he sustained at Michigan State — though it appears there’s more to it than that.

Cade went in and out of the game intermittently, particularly in the second half, which meant more playing time for true freshman J.J. McCarthy.

“Cade was working through something,” Harbaugh said. “Tough as can be, gotta give Cade a lot of credit, he’s a tough guy. But yeah, stay prayed up and healed up.”

Michigan will try to heal up before it takes on Penn State at noon EST in Happy Valley.

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Jim Harbaugh breaks down WR corps, Nico Collins’ status with team

In his weekly press conference, Michigan football’s Jim Harbaugh shared who will be the WR at Minnesota and updated Nico Collins’ status.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With Michigan set to open the 2020 season at Minnesota on Saturday night, one of the biggest curiosities is what the offense will look like.

Yes, there’s a lot of enthusiasm surrounding Wolverines third-year quarterback Joe Milton and all of the tangibles he brings to the table, but who will be out there catching the ball? Michigan has no shortage of capable receivers, even though the unit has been somewhat depleted from a year ago. While the trio of Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black had been tantalizing in terms of their talent for years, with them now gone, they pass the torch to multiple, speedier options that provide a different type of capability of stretching the field.

Jim Harbaugh broke down the unit on Monday in his weekly press conference, sharing why he’s encouraged by the group and who will be making the trip to Minneapolis this week for game one.

“Receiver-wise, the receivers have been really good,” Harbaugh said. “And a lot of them, a lot of good receivers. One of the really good things about our offense’s growth has been the receiving group. Their ability to get separation, to gain separation, to increase separation and to make contested catches.

“And a lot of guys – Ronnie Bell, Mike Sainristil, Roman Wilson, Giles Jackson, Cornelius Johnson doing extremely well. Jake McCurry, A.J. Henning, Nate Schoenle – those are the receivers we’re going into the ball game with. Feel really good about all of them.”

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While the only player above that has starting experience is Ronnie Bell, the maize and blue are particularly excited about the prospects of Giles Jackson and the two true freshmen in A.J. Henning and Roman Wilson.

But Harbaugh’s omission of Nico Collins from that group is particularly glaring.

Collins announced shortly after the VRBO Citrus Bowl against Alabama that he would be returning for his senior year, but he quietly signed with an agent and left the team when there was uncertainty in the late-summer about whether or not the Big Ten would have a season at all.

Since, he’s made no announcement as to his intentions — like Jalen Mayfield had before he opted back in, as Ambry Thomas did about his departure and Kwity Paye alluded to about returning. Meanwhile teammates have contended that he’s ‘still unsure,’ leaving some to be optimistic that he could be a part of the team.

While Harbaugh threw some cold water on the idea that Collins could suit up sometime in the coming weeks, he didn’t altogether close the door on his potential return down the road.

“Nico is not participating in football right now,” Harbaugh said. “And I don’t have a crystal ball if his mind would change or not, but he’s not currently on the team.”

Collins’ participation in classes at this juncture are unknown, but it appears unlikely that he’s still enrolled in the university. If that’s the case, he’s likely played his final down for the Wolverines this past January.

Michigan will take its receiving corps to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Saturday night, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be nationally broadcast on ABC.