Tag: Joe Taylor

2025 Season Countdown: #61-65

65. RB Micah Ka’apana (RS Fr.): As expected for last season, Ka’apana took a redshirt after playing in just two games. He looked tiny – and still doesn’t look very big – but was able to catch a jet sweep pass for 4 yards against Northwestern. He looked decent in the spring on a few runs, but he just doesn’t have the strength at this point to power through tackles. He’s probably another year or two away from contributing in a big way, but his quickness and pass catching skills may prove to be valuable since the top couple backs are known more for being powerful and tough. Last year’s rank: #94.

64. DE Nate Marshall (Fr.): Marshall (4-star, #3 edge, and #43 overall) seems to be flying under the radar a little bit for being the #43 overall recruit in the 2025 class, but my hunch is that might change once the fall comes. Unlike a couple of the skinny edges Michigan landed in 2024 (Lugard Edokpayi, Devon Baxter), Marshall was listed at 6’4″ and 265 lbs. as a recruit and should come in more ready to play, somewhat like Derrick Moore in 2022. Moore was listed at 6’3″, 279 lbs. as a freshman and has slimmed down, but I think Marshall is more athletic. He probably won’t break into the top four of Moore, T.J. Guy, Cam Brandt, and Dominic Nichols, but he should get some playing time to whet our appetites for 2026 and beyond.

63. DE Tyler McLaurin (RS Sr.): Over McLaurin’s first three seasons at Michigan, he played in just five games. He was listed in his third year as a 227 lb. edge player, which wasn’t going to work. This spring he was listed at a reasonable 252 lbs., and while he’s not talented enough to see much playing time on defense, that at least makes him a somewhat viable option in a pinch. The 2024 season saw an uptick in playing time on special teams, where he played in all thirteen games. I expect that to continue in 2025. Last year’s rank: #67.

62. WR Channing Goodwin (RS Fr.): Listed at 6’1″ and 185 lbs., Goodwin returns in 2025 after playing in four games and preserving his redshirt in 2024. He played a little on special teams and a little at receiver. From what we saw in the spring game, I still think Goodwin is a possession receiver at best at this point. He does seem like someone the coaches trust to do the right thing, so I imagine he’ll be a guy who plays quite a bit in 2025 but without getting targeted much.

61. WR Joe Taylor (RS Sr.): Taylor is a former walk-on who was named Special Teams Player of the Year for Michigan in 2024. He does a little bit of everything and returned 4 kickoffs for 69 yards, caught 1 pass for 9 yards, made 4 tackles, and forced 1 fumble. I keep hoping Michigan will find someone else to put deep to return kickoffs because, while Taylor is supposedly one of the fastest players on the team, he just doesn’t have much wiggle or tackle breaking ability. Regardless of whether Michigan finds someone with a little more potential or not, Taylor will undoubtedly play quite a bit on specials.

2025 Spring Football Preview: Wide Receiver

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.

2024 Season Countdown: #61 Joe Taylor

Name: Joe Taylor
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 lbs.
High school: Chelsea (MI) Chelsea
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I ranked Taylor #87 and said he would be a backup wide receiver and kick returner (LINK). He made 4 tackles and returned 1 kickoff for 13 yards.
TTB Rating: N/A

Taylor surprisingly appeared on the scene in 2022 as the “other” returner, the guy who lines up deep but opposite of whoever Michigan wants to receive the ball. Most kickers are right-footed and pull the ball to their left to get maximum power, so return teams will often put a guy back on the return team’s left – Michigan’s left in this case – to field the ball just in case the opponent wants to throw a curveball. Maryland tried that in 2021, and it resulted in Michael Barrett – a high school quarterback – throwing it back to A.J. Henning for a touchdown.

For the past two seasons, it’s been Taylor lining up deep, and he has 3 kickoff returns to show for it. One of the speedier players on the team, he also has the willingness – and, let’s be honest, the lack of offensive importance – to get ahead of the returner and throw a block or two. If that other returner is incapable of throwing a block, then he’s just a waste of a body 95% of the time.

But Taylor has also played on coverage units and even recovered an onside kick against Maryland last year. One could probably make an argument to rank Taylor even higher in the countdown since he’s a virtual lock to play a ton of special teams, but there are always bodies for special teams, so I couldn’t really justify ranking him any higher. Still, you will probably see #39 streaking down the field quite a bit this fall.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver and special teamer

2023 Season Countdown: #87 Joe Taylor

Name: Joe Taylor
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 185 lbs.
High school: Chelsea (MI) Chelsea
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I did not rank Taylor. He returned 2 kickoffs for 34 yards and made 6 tackles.
TTB Rating: N/A

Taylor came out of nowhere in 2022 to earn a steady role on special teams. After playing in just one game at running back as a true freshman in 2021, he moved to wide receiver. Then he managed to win a role as a deep guy on kickoffs, the guy who might just catch the ball if the other team manages to pooch kick or directional kick the ball to the right (most right-footed kickers pull the ball to their left). Reportedly one of the faster guys on the team, Taylor returned 2 kicks for 34 yards while also working on coverage units.

I don’t mean to diminish that accomplishment, but Taylor’s role(s) can probably be filled by several other receivers, running backs, and perhaps defensive backs. It also seems like those special teams roles can swing wildly from season to season. Maybe Taylor will reprise his role on special teams, and maybe he will be usurped by Cole Cabana or Fredrick Moore or Tyler Morris or someone we’re not even considering right now.

Prediction: Backup wide receiver and special teamer