Michigan Coach Kyle Whittingham Names the Top 4 WRs as Spring Ball Kicks Off

The Wolverines are looking to air it out more this season.

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Michigan kicked spring practice off on Tuesday and the Wolverines' new head coach, Kyle Whittingham, met with the media for the first time since assembling his full staff and his first roster.

Quarterback Bryce Underwood was a hot topic on Tuesday, but with Jason Beck coming to Ann Arbor to run the offense, fans are hoping to see the Maize and Blue open up the offense more in 2026.

And on Tuesday, Whittingham named four wide receivers he thinks are going to be very good this season for Michigan and the goal now is to find four more to go along with them.

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"Andrew Marsh, he’s a tremendous talent," Whittingham said. "That’s very evident. And Jaime Ffrench, that we brought in from Texas, has done a really nice job. Salesi Moa, our true freshman, has really looked sharp in the workouts. J.J. Buchanan, transfer from Utah. Those are probably the top four.

"Still jockeying for position for the next four. You typically travel about eight receivers, seven, eight receivers. And so we know that those top four are pretty darn good, and we’re just trying to sort out that next tier. But those four guys are going to be very good, Big Ten receivers, in my opinion."

Other wide receivers who could step up

It's not shocking to hear Ffrench, Buchanan, and Moa to go along with Michigan's leading receiver from last season, Marsh. Buchanan was a big-time threat as a true freshman for Utah last season, and Ffrench was a top-end talent when he signed with Texas last season. Moa was a five-star athlete when he signed with the Wolverines after being a short-term signee with the Utes.

While it sounds like Michigan had four wide receivers it's confident in, the Wolverines are now going to find at least four more they can rotate in and have confidence in if an injury were to occur.

Michigan returns Channing Goodwin, who began last season as a starter. He caught 12 passes last season, and the Maize and Blue return both Kendrick Bell and I'Marion Stewart, who have both been with the program. Jamar Browder, a tall, randy wide receiver, saw playing time last season, along with redshirt freshman Jacob Washington.

The Wolverines also signed four-star Travis Johnson and three-star Jaylen Pile in this past recruiting cycle.

There are a lot of raw, unproven bodies in the wide receiver room, but the talent is there and Whittingham is ready to see some guys emerge this spring.