Raheem Anderson, C (Western Michigan): Anderson is a backup lineman for Western Michigan.
Andrel Anthony, WR (Duke): Anthony did not record any stats in a 45-33 win over North Carolina State.
Jeremiah Beasley, LB (Missouri): Beasley made 1 tackle in a 29-20 win over South Carolina.
Kechaun Bennett, DE (UCLA): UCLA (0-3) had a bye after firing head coach Deshaun Foster. Bennett has 11 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, and 1 quarterback hurry this year.
Tristan Bounds, OT (Arizona): Bounds is a starting offensive tackle for Arizona.
RETURNING PLAYERS: Peyton O’Leary (RS Sr.), Joe Taylor (RS Sr.), Amorion Walker (Sr.), Logan Forbes (RS Jr.), Fredrick Moore (Jr.), Semaj Morgan (Jr.), Kendrick Bell (RS So.), Channing Goodwin (RS Fr.), I’Marion Stewart (RS Fr.) NEWCOMERS: Donaven McCulley (RS Sr.), Anthony Simpson (RS Sr.), Andrew Marsh (Fr.), Jamar Browder (Fr.) DEPARTURES: C.J. Charleston (graduation), Tyler Morris (transfer to Indiana)
OUTLOOK: Michigan’s receivers did not have a banner year in 2024. Part of it may be a chicken-or-egg situation with the poor quarterback play: no receiver was going to have a great year with Davis Warren and Alex Orji throwing the ball, and not many quarterbacks were going to have great passing numbers throwing to what Michigan put out there at receiver. Tight end Colston Loveland led Michigan’s team in receptions (56), yards (548), and touchdowns (5). By comparison, the leading wideouts in each category were Semaj Morgan (27 catches), Tyler Morris (248 yards), and Morris again (2 touchdowns).
Morris headed for the greener pastures of, uh, Bloomington, Indiana, this off-season, so it’s a pretty complete overhaul of the receiving group. Morgan is back, but he had a measly 139 yards and a paltry 5.2 yards per catch. That’s not an indictment of Morgan’s talent, but Michigan’s overall inability to push the ball downfield, set up screens appropriately, and generally call an offense. I have more faith in new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey than the departed Kirk Campbell, so I expect Morgan to benefit significantly. But he has yet to prove that he can be a downfield threat.
The prize of Michigan’s transfer efforts at receiver is Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley, a 6’5″, 203 lb. possession guy who caught 48 passes for 644 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2023. While he doesn’t have a ton of downfield speed, he’s the type of big target with experience that Michigan lacked out wide in 2024. He can probably be penciled in as a starter this fall.
Other unknowns include the quick Fredrick Moore (11 catches, 148 yards, 1 TD in 2024), former walk-on and possession guy Peyton O’Leary (10 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD), former quarterback Kendrick Bell (7 catches, 70 yards), and reed-thin speedster Amorion Walker (3 catches, 34 yards). The most intriguing of those is Walker, who is 6’3″ and 182 lbs. Once penciled in as a starting cornerback by Jim Harbaugh – and briefly at Ole Miss in the spring of 2024 – he spent last year at receiver. If corners don’t get a hand on him, he can run real fast; if corners do get a hand on him, he can fall down real fast.
One of Lindsey’s tasks will be to figure out which veteran receiver can play a good-sized role in the offense and provide some help for some limited quarterbacks: QB Mikey Keene is limited by his stature, and QB Bryce Underwood is limited by his inexperience. But another task will be to figure out what roles can be played by freshman Andrew Marsh, incoming UMass transfer Anthony Simpson, and freshman Jamar Browder. Marsh comes in with some questions about his overall speed, but he reportedly finds a way to make things happen. Simpson is a bit of a screen and gadget guy, but he could be fun to watch. And Browder is a 6’3″ guy with some upside, but he’s probably somebody who needs to bake in the oven for at least a season.
Overall, Michigan has an array of pieces. While last season was similar at receiver to the 2023-2024 Michigan basketball team that got Juwan Howard fired because he couldn’t construct a roster, this year could be closer to the 2024-2025 Dusty May version of the basketball team: a well constructed squad probably lacking championship potential.
Name: Amorion Walker Height: 6’3″ Weight: 182 lbs. High school: Ponchatoula (LA) Ponchatoula Position: Cornerback Class: Junior Jersey number: #1 Last year: I ranked Walker #32 and said he would be a part-time starter at cornerback (LINK). He played in five games and made 5 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and 1 pass breakup. TTB Rating: 81
I vastly overranked Walker in 2023, largely based on Jim Harbaugh’s assertion in the off-season that the staff considered Walker to be a starter at cornerback. He then had a terrible spring game and played in just five games last fall, dropping down the depth chart behind UMass transfer Josh Wallace, walk-on Keshaun Harris, and then-freshman D.J. Waller. Walker’s speed and agility are top-notch, but it has yet to transfer to the game field.
And speaking of transfers, Walker had a bit of an odyssey this past off-season. He chose to transfer – which is understandable given the modern transfer portal climate and his spot on the field – because it seemed like he was not destined to play much at corner for Michigan. So he went to Ole Miss, where they had him playing cornerback during spring ball. And then after spring practices, he sought greener pastures at Michigan . . . in the wide receiver room with Ronald Bellamy.
I might be overranking Walker yet again. I’m putting more faith in logic than in actual practice buzz, I guess. A lot of the murmurs coming out of practice are about Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, Colston Loveland, and Marlin Klein, and not about Walker. But if the coaching staff didn’t love Walker’s ability as a receiver, I’m not sure how much effort they would have put into trying to get him back after he had already walked out the door. Walker has put on just two pounds (up to 182) since the beginning of last season, so he’s not going to be a physical wideout. What he might bring to the table is field-stretching speed, height, and leaping ability, and maybe the coaching staff thinks that can clear things out for the aforementioned targets underneath. I don’t think we will see a ton of catches from Walker this fall, but we might see a few big plays.
