Tag: CJ Charleston

2026 Season Countdown: #76-80

#76. C.J. Charleston – WR – Cleveland (OH) Gilmour Academy: Nobody really talks about this, but Charleston is a super weird eligibility story and I have no idea what’s going on when it comes to why he’s still on Michigan’s roster. The 6’0″, 190 lb. wideout started two games for Michigan back in 2024, so he has played at the Big Ten level . . . but he started his college career all the way back in 2019. Just for some context, Michigan’s headliner in the 2019 class was Daxton Hill . . . who is now entering his fifth season in the NFL. Charleston played at Youngstown State prior to Michigan and is now in his third season on the Wolverines roster. He was injured last year and the plan for him this fall is unclear. I have a hard time believing he’ll work his way back to a starting role, partly because the new coaching staff has upgraded the receiver room with transfers like Jaime Ffrench and Salesi Moa. But Charleston does have college playing experience and is the oldest player on Michigan’s roster, so maybe that will be enough to get him on the field situationally.

#77. Nico Andrighetto – S – Mountain View (CA) St. Francis: Andrighetto is a 5’9″, 190 lb. fifth year senior who has been named Scout Team Player of the Year three times during his career – on defense in 2023-2024 and on special teams in 2025. He made just 1 tackle last season but played in eight total games. We’ll see if the new coaching staff will also recognize his strengths and abilities, but I figure Andrighetto will continue to be a contributor on special teams.

#78. I’Marion Stewart – WR – Chicago (IL) Kenwood: Stewart is one of those players who came in with some excitement . . . and now it seems to be getting late early. He didn’t see the field in 2024 and suffered an ACL injury in 2025, so now he enters year three in college with zero playing experience. Once thought of as a potential kick/punt returner and a possible solution at slot receiver, he seems to be getting zero buzz. I’m giving the edge to Charleston (see above) when it comes to importance, but Stewart had higher upside coming out of high school. Is he healthy and can he translate the mental reps from the past couple years into doing some good things on the field this fall? My guess is that we won’t see much of him in 2026, but maybe he could show up as a returner on special teams.

#79. Kaden Catchings – LB – Jackson (MS) Hartfield: Michigan’s first signee out of Mississippi since Jeremy LeSueur, Catchings is listed as a 6’1″, 220 lb. freshman. He made 29 tackles and 2 sacks on defense and rushed for 336 yards and 6 touchdowns on offense during his senior season. Michigan brought in several transfer linebackers (Max Alford, Aisea Moa, Nate Staehling, etc.) and has some unproven talent in the linebacker room, so the depth chart is a little bit muddy. However, Catchings is probably not going to play much this fall.

#80. Chase Herbstreit – QB – Cincinnati (OH) St. Xavier: Redshirt freshman Herbstreit is listed at 6’1″, 198 lbs. and appears to be well down the depth chart for the Wolverines. The son of ESPN analyst – and former Ohio State quarterback – Kirk Herbstreit, Chase fell behind true freshman Tommy Carr as soon as Carr arrived on campus this winter. With former Colorado State quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi also entering the fray this summer, it appears that Herbstreit will be no higher than fourth on the quarterback depth chart. His size, athleticism, and arm strength are only so-so, which means his path to playing time will have to come from his intellect. I don’t think that will be enough for him this season, so Herbstreit will likely be a scout team guy in 2026.

2025 Season Countdown: #51-55

55. TE Zack Marshall (RS So.): Marshall played in all thirteen games last season, mostly on special teams; he played in just four games on offense and didn’t record any stats other than 1 special teams tackle. I expect Michigan’s new offensive coordinator to incorporate a little bit more spread to the offense to give Bryce Underwood room to operate, so I think the tight end position will be de-emphasized some. Marshall will be backing up the likes of Marlin Klein and Max Bredeson, and it appears second-year player Hogan Hansen and former walk-on Jalen Hoffman have also passed him up. Last year’s rank: #47a.

54. LB Jaydon Hood (RS Sr.): To be perfectly honest, I was surprised when Jaydon Hood made it through the transfer portal window without trying to go somewhere else. That’s not an indictment of his talent, but a nod to the other talented linebackers Michigan has kept bringing in, including Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham as transfers, along with Cole Sullivan and Jimmy Rolder as recruits. Toss in Georgia transfer Troy Bowles and it seemed like Hood would have had good reason to play his final year elsewhere. But he played linebacker in eight games last year, making 9 tackles and 1 tackle for loss, so there’s still potential for him to play a meaningful backup role and on special teams. Last year’s rank: #41.

53. CB Jo’Ziah Edmond (So.): I had trouble finding where to rank Edmond, a 6’1″, 180 lb. second-year player whom the coaches were very high on when he arrived in 2024. He played in eight total games, including four at cornerback, and made 2 tackles on the year. On the one hand, burning a redshirt for a backup role usually indicates a significant role the next year. On the other hand, Michigan brought in the Metcalf brothers from Arkansas, moved Zeke Berry to cornerback full-time, and also landed an elite player in 2025 recruit Shamari Earls. Edmond could be anywhere from the third corner behind Berry and Jyaire Hill to the sixth corner behind those two and Earls, Jeremiah Lowe, and Tevis Metcalf. Last year’s rank: #78.

52. WR Kendrick Bell (RS So.): Bell was a high school quarterback who transitioned to wide receiver in 2023, and he did play more in 2024 than I expected, making 7 catches for 70 yards. The wide receiver spot is up in the air, but I didn’t see much last year that makes me excited for his role in 2025. I may be reading too much into this, but there was also a recent interview of Sherrone Moore where he was mentioning receivers and forgot to mention the 6’2″, 191 lb. Bell until asked specifically, so I think Bell’s role will be minor this year. Last year’s rank: #55.

51. WR C.J. Charleston (6th): Charleston played in ten games and started two last year for the Wolverines, making 1 catch for 22 yards. A leg injury late in the season ended his campaign, and he somewhat unexpectedly decided to return for 2025. I tend to think he returned with an eye on playing as much or more in 2025, but his role was largely as a blocker and a guy who could be put in motion. With transfers like Donaven McCulley and Anthony Simpson stepping in, I’m not sure there’s much opportunity for Charleston to take on a big role, but he’s experienced, the coaches seemed to like his toughness, and he can contribute on specials. Last year’s rank: #46.

Michigan vs. Fresno State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . C.J. Charleston. The Youngstown State transfer receiver only played 6 snaps on Saturday night, but I would like to see him play more. I think he’s more of a receiving threat than Peyton O’Leary, and while maybe there’s a small difference in run blocking, the receiving threat and big-play ability of Charleston is worth playing him more. Michigan needs better options in the passing game.

Hit the jump for more.

2024 Season Countdown: #46 C.J. Charleston

Name: C.J. Charleston
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Gates Mill (OH) Gilmour Academy
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sixth year senior
Jersey number: #5
Last year: Charleston was a fifth year senior at Youngstown State (LINK). He caught 33 passes for 467 yards and 4 touchdowns while starting all thirteen games.
TTB Rating: N/A

Charleston entered Youngstown State’s program in 2019 and has started 23 games since then, including all thirteen as a fifth year senior in 2023. Last year he set all his career records, including catches (6 against Robert Morris), yards (119 yards against Robert Morris), and longest catch (72 yards against Illinois State). Michigan was in desperate need of receivers who could contribute right now after Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson went to the NFL and Darrius Clemons transferred to Oregon State. It was a good match between a team that needs receivers and a player who doesn’t really warrant getting ten targets a game.

As for Charleston’s impact this year, he should be a piece of the on-field puzzle. It’s unlikely that he will be a star or the leading receiver, but he’s a former high school running back who should value things like blocking and gaining some tough yards. With Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan the top two returning receivers, and the super-athletic Amorion Walker moving over from cornerback (and coming back from Ole Miss), Charleston should be a good backup or occasional starter. Last year Michigan’s fourth receiver (Morris) caught 13 passes for 197 yards and 1 touchdown. I think that’s a good approximation of my expectations for Charleston in 2024.

Prediction: Part-time starting wide receiver; 15 catches for 165 yards and 1 touchdown

C.J. Charleston, Wolverine

Former Youngstown State University wide receiver C.J. Charleston has committed to Michigan out of the transfer portal.

Charleston was an unranked 2019 recruit who committed to the Penguins out of Gates Mills (OH) Gilmour Academy. He redshirted as a freshman and then played in five games during the COVID season, making 7 catches for 112 yards. Then in 2021 he made 16 catches for 147 yards before tearing his Achilles prior to the 2022 season, which caused him to miss the entire year. The 6’0″, 190-pounder returned to play in 2023 and made 33 catches for 467 yards and 4 touchdowns while starting all thirteen games. He has two years of eligibility remaining, so he could be on Michigan’s roster through 2025.

Here you can see him catching a 72-yard touchdown pass on a broken play against Illinois State last year:

Charleston does not have great speed or size, so he looks to be more of an intermediate possession guy. I’m not sure he offers much in the way of skills that Michigan does not already have. But he is another body to add to the room, and I would hope that his experience and time in a college strength and conditioning program will help him play a role as a leader and blocker.

Below are some highlights of the Charleston, who was a high school running back. As a senior in 2018, he ran for 198 yards, 2585 yards, and 49 touchdowns, albeit against some pretty weak competition. You can see his body type and running style lend themselves to the receiver position more, so that may explain why it took him some time to make an impact at YSU.