Tag: darrius clemons

Former Michigan football wide receiver Darrius Clemons commits to new school

Best of luck to him.

Big things were expected for former four-star wide receiver Darrius Clemons when he committed to Michigan football in 2021. And his performance in the spring game as an early enrollee only heightened those expectations.

But the tall, rangy wide receiver didn’t really matriculate, whether it was injuries or the depth chart. Though he had an opportunity to see the field early and often in 2024, Clemons decided to start anew elsewhere.

And now we know where.

Taking to social media on Monday, Clemons announced he’s returning home to the state of Oregon, having pledged his commitment to the new-look Oregon State Beavers. Clemons is a Portland native and now he’ll be playing again in his home state.

With Clemons gone, Michigan football will be looking to sophomores Fred Moore and Karmello English and may also continue to search for a taller receiver via the transfer portal.

With Amorion Walker having also moved on, the only receiver left in the 2021 class is Tyler Morris — who scored a pivotal touchdown in the Rose Bowl, his first as a Wolverine.

Michigan football WR, former four-star, enters transfer portal

Best of luck to him.

After Michigan football won its first Big Ten Championship Game and was en route to its first College Football Playoff semifinal, it got something of a surprise commitment on early signing day. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, four-star wide receiver Darrius Clemons chose the maize and blue over his hometown Oregon Ducks.

Clemons looked the part of a star receiver early, pulling down a highlight-reel catch in the spring game as an early enrollee, just months after arriving in Ann Arbor. But injuries and the depth chart precluded him from taking the next step.

After two years with the program, Clemons has opted for a change of pace, seeking greener pastures elsewhere having entered the NCAA transfer portal.

With Clemons departing, wide receiver is looking rather thin for Michigan football. The Wolverines definitely lose Cornelius Johnson and are likely to lose Roman Wilson. That leaves Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan as the only wideouts with significant experience.

The maize and blue could turn to Karmello English or Fred Moore or seek a wideout or two in the transfer portal.

Why Roman Wilson thinks one young receiver will ‘shock a lot of people’ in 2023

Brb, salivating. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With Ronnie Bell moving onto the NFL this offseason, the Michigan football wide receiver room will return, in part, to its 2021 form, with Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson leading the charge. But unlike 2021, there’s a different cast of characters behind them.

Fans gained a small glimpse of the bumper crop last year when Tyler Morris and Darrius Clemons — both entering their second years with the program — received some late or spot duty in games. Certainly, they’ll be called upon much more this year considering Bell’s departure, as well as Andrel Anthony’s transfer to Oklahoma.

Wilson is working to become more of a leader in Bell’s absence, and there’s one young receiver who has really impressed him this spring: the aforementioned Darrius Clemons.

“When I came in for winter cycle; I’m one of the guys — I’m from Hawaii, so I don’t really go home that often, so I’m always in the building,” Wilson said. “And to see him just like working out by himself, and then we get to the winter cycle, and for him to be as strong as he is in the weight room, it’s pretty shocking. He’s a pretty strong guy. And I think he’s going to shock a lot of people when he gets his opportunities this year.”

Clemons’ emergence is necessary for the passing game to thrive, but other younger players are stepping up as well.

Wilson had praise for the two early enrollees, Fredrick Moore and Semaj Morgan, noting they aren’t playing like true freshmen in spring practice.

“Fred and Semaj have been a really good addition to our team,” Wilson said. “Being young guys and as far along as they are, I think they’re both really good. Tyler Morris, Darrius, all the guys look really good.

“I think the wide receiver room is in pretty good hands. They look good.”

Fans will get an opportunity to see all of the above on April 1 when Michigan hosts its annual spring game at The Big House.

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Ron Bellamy compares three Wolverine WR’s to former Michigan greats

If #Michigan can get this type of production from the receivers, watch out! #GoBlue

Michigan receivers coach Ron Bellamy played for the Wolverines from 1999-2002. During his playing days in Ann Arbor, he tallied 888 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

When Bellamy was hired before the 2021 season from West Bloomfield — where he was the head coach and had led the Lakers to a state title — the Wolverines asked Bellamy to take over as the safeties coach. The former Michigan receiver helped lead the group to a top-30 pass defense.

Now entering his second season with the maize and blue, Bellamy is back with the receivers. The second-year coach admits he is more comfortable with the receivers, but he told the media on Wednesday that he can view things a little different after coaching the secondary for a full season.

“It’s been awesome,” said Bellamy. “I can speak for myself going from defense to offense is — obviously, I’m most comfortable at receivers, it’s the position that I played for a long time, and being on the defensive side of the ball, yes, you know coverages and different things to that. But learning what the fronts are doing, learning with the linebackers and doing, the edge mechanics, and now being on offense and seeing it and giving input in meetings and, like, ‘Hey, they’re doing this because of this,’ or think the way I see it, it’s definitely opened my eyes, in the game. Some of the things that I had an idea that I thought I knew, that I was great at understanding, but I really have a better understanding of things. And I think from a coaching standpoint, having some success last year, coach moved Jay over there to the defensive side of the ball, and it’s been great for him. He’s just kind of going through the same transition that I went through last year. But it’s been great. Our coaching staff, we have a strong brotherhood, a great camaraderie with one another.”

Bellamy has an embarrassment of riches at his position group. The Wolverines return every receiver, save for Daylen Baldwin, from last season. Michigan also returns Ronnie Bell, who was injured in the first game of 2021, and the maize and blue have three highly touted freshmen for 2022.

Bellamy knows all about playing alongside talented receivers. During his tenure at Michigan, he had the pleasure of playing with Braylon Edwards, Jason Avant, Steve Breaston, David Terrell and Marquise Walker. That’s quite a list.

When Bellamy was asked about Andrel Anthony, Bellamy told the media that Anthony wants to model his game on former Michigan legend Braylon Edwards. He says Anthony not only wants to be a physical threat, but he wants to know the ins and outs of the game. Last year, during the Michigan State game, we saw some Edwards type of flashes when Anthony caught 155 yards and two scores.

“Yeah, well, I’ve known about Andrel in high school,” said Bellamy. “I’ve been following him since he was in high school to where he is today, and one of the biggest things with Andrel, he’s understanding the game of football.”

“He challenges himself to do everything right, from not only just being a vertical threat or a guy that just flashes athleticism,” Bellamy continued. “He wants to know the ins and outs of the game. Andrel wants to know, how can he be a more dominant blocker. He looked in my room — I have my six pictures, and it’s Steve Breaston, Jason Avant, it’s Marquise Walker, David Terrell and Braylon Edward. And those were the core guys I played with at Michigan and — just a history lesson for the boys, anytime they come in the office, we talk about the legacy of Michigan football and the great tradition of wide receiver play. Andrel, one of the guys that he wants to emulate his Braylon, the things that Braylon’s done on the field and if you look at it they’re very similar — body structure and — I can obviously share stories because I played with Braylon for two years and just how brilliant he attacked the game and Andrel wants to add that to his game”

After telling the media that Andrel Anthony wants to emulate Edwards, Bellamy was asked if anyone reminded him of Steve Breaston. Bellamy said there are a few players, but Ronnie Bell really reminds him of the old speedster. Bellamy says both Bell and Breaston are hard to tackle, and they both are savvy.

“There’s a few guys — Ronnie has a little Steve Breaston in him,” said Bellamy. “Very slippery, deceiving. I tease him, Steve had that awkward running, but he always runs away from you, and he’s hard to tackle and Ronnie’s the same way. Steve’s probably a little taller than Ronnie but very, very, very savvy football players that are deceptive with their speed and elusiveness.”

Lastly, Bellamy was asked if anyone reminded him of Jason Avant. Avant is now part of the Michigan broadcast team for football games, but he had a successful college and pro football career with the Wolverines and the Philadelphia Eagles. Bellamy told the media freshman Darrius Clemons reminds him of a young Avant. Bellamy says Clemons is strong like an ox, he’s explosive and loves contact — just like Avant did.

“Oh, that’s a great question. Darrius Clemons right now, the young buck,” said Bellamy. “Now he’s not as polished as Jason, but he will be. He will be. But he’s the guy that — ‘Coach, watch this!’ He’s that guy that — he’s a bigger guy, 210 and now he’s strong as an ox, is explosive and he loves contact. Jason was like that. Jason and I played together here and as Jason was learning how to be a receiver before he was catching passes and running routes, Jason was the guy that would dig the safeties out, go block linebackers, kind of do the dirty work, per se. And Darrius is that guy that say, ‘Coach put me in, I don’t care if it’s to block, put me in.’ No, he’s that guy right now that kind of carries that torch and it’s pretty cool for a young guy to kind of carry that torch and the guys know about Jason, as well. He spoke to the team and they’ve seen videos of Jason, so D.C. is that guy right now.”

Michigan fans know what they have with Bell, he did lead the team in receiving yards for two seasons, but if Anthony and Clemons turn out to be like Edwards and Avant — watch out college football secondaries around the world.

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Power ranking Michigan football freshmen by potential 2022 contribution

Who will be #Michigan’s first-year instant impact players? #GoBlue

Every year, in likely every college football team, a first-year player comes in and makes an instant impact.

At Michigan, we’ve seen several. In 2021, Andrel Anthony and Junior Colson; in 2020, Blake Corum and Roman Wilson; in 2019, Zach Charbonnet and Dax Hill; Chris Evans and Devin Bush in 2016. The list can go on indefinitely. But who will be those players in 2022?

Though the class was 23 deep (when you include Andrew Gentry), there are numerous candidates to be instant impact players. Even though we have a good idea of some players already who are likely to find themselves in the two-deep, there are others — particularly in positions of need — that could make a splash in year one.

Here are our top 10 choices, ranked from last to first, of freshmen who could find themselves on the field early and often in 2022.

Impressive Michigan receiving room set to become even more dynamic

Who will be the next to break out? #GoBlue

Michigan football has an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position.

While it might not be as lauded as that of rival Ohio State, the Wolverines not only return every receiver from their Big Ten championship-winning team a year ago, but they add more components to the mix.

Perhaps the most important is Ronnie Bell, who tore his ACL in the 2021 season opener against Western Michigan. While he still wasn’t a full go in spring ball, he’s coming along in his rehabilitation and is set to be healthy once 2022 rolls around.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh shared an update on the wide receiver corps last week on the ‘In The Trenches’ podcast with Jon Jansen, noting that Bell is nearly ready to go, along with the rest of the usual suspects.

“Wide receiver-wise, Ronnie Bell is more like weeks away from being full speed. He’s running, he’s starting to make cuts. He’s doing cutting. He’s real close,” Harbaugh said. “He’s almost doing everything that everybody else is doing. The rehab’s been fabulous. He’ll step right in and possibly even be stronger, faster, better than he was last year. To go along with the top guys, which are, in no order: Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson, Andrel Anthony, A.J. Henning — who is doing a heckuva good job — Mike Sainristil is playing both ways and starting on defense right now, but also comes over to offense and looks like he hasn’t left offense. (…)

“The other guy, Cristian Dixon, also on that verge of being able to break through. He did some good things as well.”

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While we know those players, there’s the three freshmen — all of whom have early enrolled — who could also be impact players this fall.

We saw Darrius Clemons make a handful of big plays in the spring game, to go along with a body that looks college-ready. Amorion Walker has height, but perhaps not the requisite size for the college game, but Harbaugh notes that once he goes through summer conditioning that could change. Morris wasn’t available for the spring game, as he tore his ACL a year ago, but the trio could all make an impact come fall.

Harbaugh has liked what he’s seen from the dynamic trio, and he shared what he likes about all three.

“Really good. Amorion Walker, Darrius Clemons, and somebody you didn’t see is Tyler Morris,” Harbaugh said. “We saw him in practice quite a bit, we just didn’t have him in contact. He also had an ACL injury when he was in high school, in spring. It’s coming up on just about a year now and they just wanted to keep him out of contact in the spring. Still has a knee brace, but you wouldn’t know it. He is elusive, slot type of guy with a lot of speed. Darrius Clemons and Amorion Walker are your prototypical type of outside receivers, catching contested balls, running the deep crosses and the crossing routes.

“Darrius definitely has the more physically developed. Amorion, once he puts in the offseason, gets another four weeks and then the summer cycle, gaining the strength, the strength and endurance, you can just tell he’s gonna be a tremendous football player to go along with all that athleticism.

”Much like Will Johnson, you can just see it. He’s that type of athlete. When he covers guys, he’s right there with them. He’s gonna play and be battling for a starting position. Also like Amorion, he needs the strength and the endurance that you would expect a midyear freshman to need. It’s just Darrius Clemons, he’s just physically, his endurance and strength is already there and developed and will continue to develop.”

Another interesting storyline throughout the spring has been the emergence of Sainristil at cornerback, as he is likely to stick at that position come fall. But Harbaugh insists that he will play on both sides of the ball once the season comes.

“He’s got the skillset to do it. He’s been really, really impressive,” Harbaugh said. “If you’re gonna bet on a guy, you bet on a guy like Mike Sainristil to be able to get that done, because he handles all of his business all the time, because he’s that kind of guy. And he’s got the athleticism to be a two-way player.”

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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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Freak show! Jim Harbaugh impressed with early-enrollee freshman receivers

Can’t wait to see these guys in action! #GoBlue

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Every year, you know you’re going to see some new faces emerge on the Michigan football team.

While many of those will be players who have been waiting in the wings, awaiting their turn after years of climbing up the depth chart, others will be newcomers that burst onto the scene in their first year with the program.

More often than not, those freshmen who make an instant impact are players who arrived on campus early, starting in late December or January rather than making their way to Ann Arbor in June with the bulk of the recruiting class.

Michigan has several of those early-enrollee freshmen on campus at the moment, highlighted by five-star cornerback Will Johnson, who will have a strong opportunity to see the field early, partially as a result of him getting the extra months of acclimation. But others, defensive backs Kody Jones and Zeke Berry, as well as a trio of wide receivers, are also in the mix to make an early impact.

“Right now, they really just come out and demonstrate more athletically, physically, what their traits are,” Harbaugh said. “What their talents are. You know they’re gonna — one week, they’re gonna be better than the last week in terms of their knowledge of the system and what they’re supposed to do, their assignment, their alignment, their technique. But yeah, it’s just great to see them out there and see what they can do, what they can do physically. Then you can project, yeah, this person is going to have a great chance to play early.”

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While Harbaugh didn’t mention any names on Tuesday to start out with, we asked him about those three receivers, especially with reports that Darrius Clemons — who picked the Wolverines over Oregon on early signing day in December — has really come on strong in his first intercollegiate experience.

Harbaugh didn’t mince words.

“Freak show!” Harbaugh exclaimed. “Really all three receivers physically, what we were just talking about, in terms of what they can do — running, jumping — those traits are quite off the charts. Amorion Walker, Darrius Clemons, and Tyler Morris.”

Fans will get an opportunity to witness all of the early-enrollees on April 2, when Michigan hosts the spring game at The Big House.

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Five instant impact freshmen for Michigan football in 2022

Will we see these guys make an impact in year one? #GoBlue

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Every year, pretty much every football team in college relies on first-year players to come in and make big plays, and Michigan football is no exception.

In 2021, the Wolverines played Donovan Edwards, Andrel Anthony, and Rod Moore with regularity. We’ve seen years where there have been double-digit redshirts burned.

So who could be those instant impact players in 2022?

The Wolverines have mostly everyone returning on the offensive side of the ball but a lot of needs on defense. Still, some offensive players will be good to keep off the field, and that could be the case for defensive players, needs or not.

That said, here are five new Wolverines who certainly could help the team in year one.

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National Signing Day: Michigan football signs Darrius Clemons

This dude has size AND speed!

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Ratings

Stars Overall Position State
247Sports 4 172 30 1
Rivals 4 91 18 –
ESPN 4 181 23 1
On3 4 47 5 1
247Sports Composite 4 131 19 1
On3 Consensus 4 98 13 1

Vitals

Hometown Portland (Ore.) Westview
Projected Position Wide receiver
Height 6-foot-3
Weight 205-pounds

Recruitment

A big-bodied receiver that is fast, fast, fast, Moore was thought to be an Oregon lean until Mario Cristobal departed for Miami. Clemons runs a reported 4.37 40-yard dash, and already has the requisite size to play early.

He first got his offer in March 2020 and visited this past summer. However, the deal wasn’t sealed until he visited again on Dec. 10. He committed to the Wolverines live on CBS Sports HQ. He had offers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, USC, and more.

His father was a receiver for the Florida Gators under Steve Spurrier.

Readiness Level

Potential first-year, instant impact player.

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Film

Scouting

On3

Possesses one of the best combinations of size and long speed among top receiver prospects in the 2022 cycle. Was hand-timed in the 4.3’s at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds prior to his junior season. A natural field-stretcher who bursts off the ball, quickly eating cornerbacks’ cushions. Long-strider who covers ground with his vertical speed. Capable of making some acrobatic one-handed grabs and tracks the ball well. With that said, can let the ball get into his body at times. Turned in a very productive senior season with 17 touchdowns. Faces subpar competition and athletes relative to some other top receivers.

247Sports

Has terrific body control and ability to adjust to all passes, both low and high, with strong hands able to catch everything in traffic. Polished route runner with ability to catch passes in tight spaces. Tough over the middle. Consistently gets separation. Projects as multi-year Power 5 starter and projects as second day pick.

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