Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
A mock draft for the Colts after Week 13.
We’re one week closer to the 2021 NFL Draft in April, and it is never too early to look at mock drafts, and start to look at possible college prospects the Indianapolis Colts could target in the spring.
The Colts are well in the playoff picture at the quarter-pole of the season, tied with the Titans for the AFC South lead. The playoffs are certainly on their minds with a chance to make a run in these final four games.
Here is our second 2021 mock draft after Week 13 of the regular season:
We’ve been saying this was the thought inside Schembechler Hall for years. Now a former Michigan football WR confirms it. Here’s why.
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Are you tired of the Joe Milton hype yet?
If you’ve been following along, we’ve heard Urban Meyer say he’s basically Cam Newton, Matt Leinart said of his arm-strength, ‘Think Patrick Mahomes, think Josh Allen,’ and Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck called him a ‘once in a decade’ quarterback for Michigan.
No pressure on that first series now, Joe.
You can add one of his former receivers to the list of those proclaiming Joe’s greatness before he’s ever taken a starting snap at the college-level. But if someone has a good idea of what he brings to the table, it’s Nico Collins, who’s seen Milton firsthand into August.
Before he got to wax poetic about Milton’s capability, appearing on The Adam Schefter Podcast on Tuesday, Collins was asked who will be the standout playmakers for his now-former team when it takes the field on Saturday. Given that there are a lot of unknowns on the team, that means there are a lot of questions to answer.
But Collins is confident who he’ll see ball out against Minnesota, and he wasn’t at all modest about it.
“Everybody,” Collins said. “I feel like Joe Milton — he’s the starting quarterback — I feel like he’s gonna put the offense on his back, and I think he’s gonna lead the offense in the right way, he’s gonna get everybody down the right path. And the defense — you got Kwity Paye, you got Aidan, you got Josh Ross. Those guys on defense, those captains, they’re gonna push the defense, they’re gonna give good advice to the young guys and they’re gonna leave it out there Saturday.
“The team is very special. We reloaded and I feel like this team really got something to prove, and I feel like they gonna prove everybody wrong, because I feel like everybody have a chip on their shoulder and they’re just gonna go out there on Saturday and ball out.”
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OK — now to Milton.
Adam Schefter, the quintessential insider, said on the podcast that he’s heard from people close to the staff in Ann Arbor that Joe Milton has the talent to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft once his time at Michigan is done.
If you’ve been following along with WolverinesWire (and even more so on the Locked On Wolverines Podcast, where we’ve parroted this routinely), you’ll know that we’ve been saying this routinely. We alluded to it (yes, we toned it down, considering how difficult it would be taken to make such a declaration of a true freshman who was a three-star recruit) back in July 2018:
What they told me is that if Milton gets the playbook down (which is likely at least a year away from happening, given the complexity), their expectation is that he would start above every other QB on Michigan’s roster. The source said that Michigan’s staff is absolutely salivating over his potential, and views him as a likely first-round NFL Draft pick once his career is said and done. Part of that is his competitive nature — whereas Patterson and Peters are both more soft spoken (McCaffrey isn’t), Milton is fierce and vocal, all to go along with the immense physical talent. This is a definite stay tuned scenario.
Then we said this March 6, 2019, and we clarified a bit more:
As referenced here on WolverinesWire before, one person close to Michigan said that the expectation from the staff is that Milton’s talent is commensurate with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft — not just first round. He has unparalleled arm talent, and can throw the ball far downfield with seeming ease.
So, to be clear, this is something that the staff believes. Turns out, so does Nico Collins.
“I believe in that 100%,” Collins said. “The things that Joe has, his skill set, his frame — I feel like he’s an NFL-caliber quarterback. Just his arm, his ability, the way his football, quarterback mechanics, it’s just amazing.
“I feel like Joe, he has potential. His first game starting as the starting quarterback and I feel like once he gets comfortable, gets to game speed, realizes the game speed, he’ll take off from there. The sky’s the limit for him.”
Additionally, when Collins was asked who’s the most comparable player out there to Milton, he went to the same well as Urban Meyer.
“He reminds me of Cam — Cam Newton,” Collins said. “He has that same body frame, same height — about 6-6, about 235-240 — he’s ready. He’s ready. He’s really on a mission, he’s on a mission right now, you can tell. His time is now, and I feel like he’s gonna take off.”
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The hype train will assuredly continue until Saturday when Michigan takes on Minnesota in primetime. At that point, it will either intensify, or, if Milton has either a middling or a bad game, fickle fans will likely declare him a bust, despite the fact that he’s set to eclipse his career total of 47 snaps all in one fell swoop — all while on a national stage for the first time.
For Collins, who made the decision to opt-out and stay opted out, it’s going to be a different experience tuning in and not suiting up. That said, he has full confidence that he’ll be witnessing a Michigan victory, albeit from afar.
“It will be bittersweet, because I want to be out there competing on the football field with my brothers, my teammates — putting everything out there, going out there and having fun with them,” Collins said. “I’ll be with them all 100%, I will be tuned in, watching them play against Minnesota, 7:30, primetime. I’m excited to see — hopefully they’ll win. They will win, I believe in them. But the grind they put in throughout the summer, I know they work really hard and I know it’ll pay off on Saturday.”
Collins says that he intends to watch Michigan’s season opener with his family. He’s currently in Pensacola, Florida training at XOS for the NFL combine, all while going to school virtually, as he’s still on track to receive his graduate studies major (social work minor) degree come May 2020.
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In a conversation with Adam Schefter, Nico Collins broke his silence about leaving Michigan football.
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At long last, we have some closure on the Nico Collins front.
Appearing on ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter’s podcast on Tuesday, the now-former Michigan football wide receiver broke his silence about his plans this fall, saying that at the moment, he’s not in Ann Arbor, and he’s fully embroiled in training for the next step of his football career.
“Right now, (I’m) training, getting ready for the NFL combine down here in Pensacola, Florida at XOS. That’s what I’m doing right now,” Collins told Schefter.
As far as Wolverines fans knew, Collins was going to be a part of whatever Big Ten season that could happen, so long as it would take place sooner than later. However, the morning that the Big Ten announced that it would be playing a fall season after all, on Sept. 16, it was revealed that Collins had signed with an agent — thus likely ending his Michigan career.
However, given that the fourth-year wideout had decided to come back for his senior year in January, and given the NCAA waivers for players who had signed with agents, could he return?
He could, but as he told Schefter, he won’t. He explained his reasoning:
“I came back for my senior season,” Collins said. “Everything was going smooth, just as planned, until this virus outbreak. The one thing that really impacted my decision was when we were supposed to play — our set date was Sept. 5 against Purdue — so during that camp process and they canceled the season. That was heartbreaking for me, because I wasn’t sure when the next time they would say — they was saying in the spring, Thanksgiving. There was too many unknown questions to answer. Nobody really had answers to it.
“I sat down with my family and I made a business decision, because I felt like I was in no man’s land for a minute. I came back to play my senior season and they canceled it. Maybe three weeks before we played Purdue Sept. 5 — it was supposed to be a home game. I had that marked on my calendar. Once they canceled that and they said they wasn’t sure when the next time we’d have a season — they was saying towards the spring, that was time — that’s training. That’s time when I would prepare for the draft, that’s around December, January, after the bowl game, and that was the set date they was saying — towards spring a little bit.
“I really just sat down with my family, I had a business decision. I really appreciate my family helping me out with that. That was one of the reasons — too many unknown questions to be had, nobody had an answer to it.”
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That said, it wasn’t a decision that Collins took lightly.
But with an eight-game Big Ten season that would expand to a ninth-crossover game, something didn’t sit right with the Alabama native. He says it was a hard decision to make, but it was one that was made with his future in mind.
“It really was (a hard decision),” Collins said. “And once I signed and got ready for the combine — and that’s when they came out with the statement to come back, to have a season at the end of October, we were gonna play Minnesota on the 24th. It was kinda just like, kinda late, eight-game — I just didn’t want to get injured, something bad happen. It just didn’t feel normal to me. I kinda just felt like everything is just forced almost, just pressured. I just made the right decision.
“It’s bittersweet, for sure. I want to be out there playing with my teammates and everything. But just had to make the right decision that’s best for me.”
He had the opportunity to opt back in, but Collins didn’t take it. He says that he’s spoken to both Jalen Mayfield and Ambry Thomas about their respective decisions, but ultimately, he made the one that suits him best.
That said, did he ever even really ponder the thought of suiting up in the maize and blue for one final go-round with the 2020 season back on?
“Yeah, I considered it,” Collins said. “It was, it was an option. I thought about it. I just, again, when I see guys opting back in, that’s when I asked my parents, we had a talk. I felt like getting my mind right and preparing for the combine was the right decision for me.”
Michigan will take the field without Collins on Saturday at Minnesota for the Big Ten season opener.
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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.
At this point, not even the Michigan football wideouts know whether or not they’ll get their teammate back for the 2020 season.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — While Michigan football enters the 2020 season with a formidable receiving corps, there’s a possibility it could be even better.
While star wideout Nico Collins announced after the VRBO Citrus Bowl against Alabama that he would return for his senior year, when the Big Ten postponed the 2020 season on Aug. 11, Collins quietly departed, signing with an agent in the process.
Though that’s usually the death knell of intercollegiate eligibility as far as the NCAA is concerned, waivers are being issued, which has allowed players like Michigan RT Jalen Mayfield to return, as well as Ohio State‘s Shaun Wade and Wyatt Davis, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and Purdue wideout Rondale Moore.
Star corner Ambry Thomas told WolverinesWire that his days in Ann Arbor are finished, as he found himself in the same boat as Collins, but Collins hasn’t announced either way whether he would return or stay in the NFL draft. His wide receiver teammate Mike Sainristil says that he’s lobbied to get him back in the fold, but Collins hasn’t made up his mind as of yet as to what he plans to do.
“I had texted him once,” Sainristil said. “I asked him if the rule of opting back in changes anything for him. He was still unsure. But, regardless of whatever he does, I wish him well. Nico’s a really good guy.”
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For now, Sainristil and the Michigan wide receiving corps lies in wait as it remains patient about Collins’ future. They are moving forward, but if he does decide to return, they’ll welcome him back with open arms.
“If he does decide to stick to working out for the NFL, then I wish him the best,” Sainristil said. “If he comes back, then I’ll be right there with him – fighting on this year.”
Michigan starts its 2020 season in just over two weeks, with the season opener taking place Oct. 24 at Minnesota. Kickoff time has yet to be announced.
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No announcement has been made either way as of yet for the senior Michigan football wideout.
No announcement has been made either way as of yet for the senior Michigan football wideout.
The Michigan football starting right guard explained his process and if he’s recruiting Nico Collins and Ambry Thomas to follow suit.
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He was out, but they pulled him back in.
Such was the case for Michigan redshirt sophomore Jalen Mayfield, the Wolverines starting right tackle, as he opted out of any potential season that the maize and blue might have in August — after the Big Ten postponed fall sports — only to reverse course exactly one month, to the day, later.
Mayfield’s father, on the day that the Big Ten announced it would return to action this fall, told the Detroit Free Press that his son would remain in the NFL draft, but a week later, buzz came that he would change his mind. He did, in fact, reverse course, and has since been cleared by the NCAA to be eligible in the season that kicks off on Oct. 24.
But what was it that brought him back to Ann Arbor after being staunchly opposed to playing? Turns out, it was his teammates, Mayfield told BTN’s Mike Hall.
“A couple days after, a couple guys were texting me, letting me know I’m welcome back,” Mayfield said. “I think that’s what kind of did it for me. I felt like I love to play football, and when it was taken away from me, it was kinda odd. I was faced with a bunch of decisions to make. But I really wanted to play football, and it when it was announced that it was returning, I wanted to play this season with all the guys.”
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But, of course, it wasn’t as easy as just saying that he wanted to return and strapping on a winged helmet.
Mayfield had signed with an agent and had missed several weeks of school. So there was something of a process that had to be involved with returning to Michigan.
He said that the coaches helped him through it as well as making him feel sound in his decision to come back.
“It was a long process,” Mayfield said. “Coach Warinner, Coach Gattis and Coach Harbaugh reached out to me and they were talking to me the whole time, even though we didn’t know if we were having a season or not, they were staying confident that we do. They were talking to me on a consistent basis.
“When I said I wanted to come back, I talked to my position coach and then talked to Coach Gattis and they were excited to have me back and they were welcoming.”
While Mayfield did return, the two other opt-outs remain opted out at this juncture.
Ambry Thomas told WolverinesWire this week that he intends to stay in the NFL draft, and it’s not yet known whether or not Nico Collins will remain in or return to the team, as he’s yet to make any sort of statement on the matter. Jim Harbaugh said on his radio show on Monday that Mayfield is the only one of the three who had started the process towards restoring his eligibility, though all three had signed with agents.
Mayfield says he speaks with the other two, and is doing his best to recruit them back to Michigan. However, whatever they decide, Mayfield says he will support them, regardless.
“I’ve talked to them a couple times, but it’s their decision,” Mayfield said. “I want them to come back of course, but sometimes you’ve got to make decisions for yourself. But I would personally love to have them back, but there’s no hard feelings if they don’t come back – though I wish they would. But I have no idea what they’re gonna do.”
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As well as if Michigan football CB Ambry Thomas or WR Nico Collins are planning to opt back in.
Big news came last week for Michigan football, when Wolverines right tackle Jalen Mayfield decided he would be returning to the program to play his redshirt sophomore year, after all.
When the Big Ten had postponed the fall 2020 season back on Aug. 11, it took one week for Mayfield to decide his future, and that decision was that he would turn the entirety of his focus to the 2021 NFL Draft as he has been a projected first-to-second round talent. With the conference then planning to have a spring season, Mayfield chose to opt out on Aug. 18.
However, on Sept. 18 — one month, to the day later, reports surfaced that the talented right tackle would reverse course, despite earlier reports indicating he would remain in the draft.
Now that Mayfield is back with the team, there was but one more challenge: he had signed with an agent. Per NCAA rules, that meant he would be ineligible, but given the unusual circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those who had moved forward with their careers could apply for a waiver to be reinstated to their respective teams — thus Mayfield did precisely that.
Speaking to Jon Jansen on the Inside Michigan Football program on the IMG radio network, Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh delivered the good news to the maize and blue faithful that Mayfield had applied for said waiver and that it has, indeed, been approved by the NCAA.
“Jalen Mayfield — he did submit a waiver to be able to come back and play,” Harbaugh said. “And that waiver has been granted. I think that there were a few stipulations that he had to do, but that waiver has been granted that he can (come back and play).”
Fans have been waiting for the possibility that Michigan’s two other opt-outs — wide receiver Nico Collins and cornerback Ambry Thomas — would come back into the fold.
However, Harbaugh threw some cold water on the notion, saying that neither of the aforementioned have applied for such a waiver.
“Right now, at this point, Jalen was the only one who submitted that waiver to opt back in,” Harbaugh noted.
While that doesn’t mean it’s over on that front, it’s not an encouraging sign at the moment. However, Michigan has nearly a month before it opens the season, which begins at Minnesota on Oct. 24.
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Where the Michigan football wide receivers stand if Nico Collins returns or remains opted out.
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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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Michigan football could be without star wide receiver Nico Collins this season, and even if they are, the offense shouldn’t slow down.
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What a week for Michigan football huh.
After the season was postponed back on August 11th, the Big Ten announced a return on Wednesday last week. With the announcement of the season returning, multiple Big Ten players who opted out of the 2020 season, announced they would be returning back.
Michigan had two players announce that they were opting out to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft and they were starting right tackle Jalen Mayfield and starting cornerback Ambry Thomas.
With the announcement of the season coming back, questions were asked about these two players and if they would return, only to find out that the top wide receiver for Michigan, Nico Collins, was another player that opted-out and signed with an agent, declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft as well.
Since Wednesday one of the three players has announced they would return as Mayfield has decided to return to the team for the 2020 season, and Thomas is looking for clarity about returning this season. Collins, on the other hand, hasn’t announced about what he plans on doing, and with him quietly signing an agent, his return could be a quiet announcement as well.
With all the uncertainty of Collins, it’s best to just imagine right now that he sticks with his word and opts out of the season and focuses on the NFL draft. If he decides to return then this group gets a big upgrade, but if he doesn’t return then how will this core look without him?
The answer: Just fine.
Michigan has a lot of depth at the wide receiver position, so if Collins doesn’t return there are still plenty of weapons for the new starting quarterback Joe Milton.
For starters, the leading receiver Ronnie Bell is back for his junior season and is coming off a season with 48 catches, 758 yards, and a touchdown. He would be the top receiver on the field with Collins gone, and while he isn’t a big body receiver at 6’4, he’s still 6’0 tall and his speed can certainly help him get some space.
Speaking of speed, sophomore Giles Jackson could have a breakout year with more involvement in the offense. Last season, Jackson was primarily a returner and he did well at it with 24 returns for 622 yards and a touchdown. When it came to playing at receiver, he finished with nine catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. His involvement with the speed in space offense offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has installed, he could have a bigger role.
Another receiver that will bring speed is freshman wide receiver, A.J. Henning. Henning was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Illinois last year and brings another speedy weapon to the offense. While he might have to fight the other receivers to see time on the field, he could still have an impact in a game with just a few touches.
But those young players aren’t the only underclassmen that could step up big. Sophomore Cornelius Johnson brings his 6’3 frame into the fold, coming off a quiet four catch season that finished with 61 yards and a touchdown. He was another freshman last year that saw some playing time but has a chance to see more this year.
Finally, another weapon at the position is Mike Sainristil. Sainristil had a solid spring in 2019, and while it didn’t translate to a starting role for Sainristil, he was still able to finish the season with eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Overall, Milton will have plenty of weapons at the wide receiver position even if Collins sticks with his opt-out. Michigan is loaded with talent and with Milton having a strong arm and fast receivers, there could be lots of points put up by this offense.
If Collins does choose to return though, then this group becomes even more dangerous and another big weapon that Gattis would be more than thrilled to have another season with.
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