New Wide Receiver Tandem Turning Heads, Giving Michigan's Passing Game Hope

The wide receiver position has been a point of contention for the Michigan football team for a significant period of time.

Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson were both solid players for a national championship team in 2023, but aside from that the team has not had a true standout player at the position since Nico Collins left for the NFL following the 2020 season.

Last year, Michigan found lightning in a bottle when Andrew Marsh emerged as a freshman midway through the season.

Despite not starting until the calendar turned to October, Marsh put up 651 receiving yards on 45 catches and scored four times in 2025.

That was with a passing game that was anemic and uninspiring for most of the season.

Now, Marsh looks poised to take a bigger leap in the offense that he says will have the ball in the air more. He could be primed to be the program’s first 1,000 yard receiver since Jeremy Gallon piled up that yardage through the air in 2013.

Dynamic Duo?

Marsh is not going to be able to do it all alone. Even the best receivers in the country need help around them so that an opposing defense cannot focus all of its attention on them.

During the offseason, Michigan added JJ Buchanan to the mix at receiver to try and bring more juice to the passing game. Early returns have been encouraging, as Buchanan has made a real impression on his head coach.

“Absolutely. J.J. Buchanan is a special receiver,” Whittingham said at Monday’s press conference. He's at times unguardable in practice. I mean, he's the 50-50 ball, the contested catch up the field. He's as good as anybody I've ever been around. He's got size, 6'3", 215 pounds. He can run. He can jump. He's tough. He'll block. He's a complete receiver in all aspects.”

Starting Over

A complete receiver in all aspects has to be music to the ears of a passing game that struggled outside of Marsh a season ago. Donovan McCulley showcased some talent, but was largely a disappointment.

Semaj Morgan is no longer with the program, but he struggled throughout the season in his first full year as a starter.

Michigan’s passing game needs to improve immensely in 2026. There’s no way around it. They have not showcased an ability to be dominant enough on the ground in order to completely forgo progress in the passing game. Even if their identity is going to be rooted in their run game, they’ll need to prove they’re capable of moving the ball through the air.

That starts with Bryce Underwood, who certainly needs to take strides at quarterback, but he’ll need some help as well.

Michigan’s pass catching group was underwhelming a season ago. They did not have a lot of depth, and they lacked playmaking ability once the games started. That includes a whopping 29 dropped passes according to CBS which cost Underwood and the offense any chance to develop throughout the year.

The good news is that Michigan is starting in a better place at receiver than it did a season ago. Marsh and Buchanan have already proven they can play college football at a high level. The depth behind them is better than it was behind Marsh and McCulley a season ago, even if there is still some work to be done.

“Celesi Moa is doing a really nice job. Jamie Ffrench is starting to come into his own,” Whittingham said. “He was kind of figuring things out in spring, but he has really settled in and playing some good football. Channing Goodwin is another guy that's emerged that is a guy that's going to be in that mix. When all is said and done, we want about seven guys that we feel confident we can put in the game. We're probably at about five, five and a half right now.”

Michigan will have plenty of chances early in the year to prove its mettle in the passing game. Their ceiling will be limited without it.

What’s a good way to prove that the team has improved through the air? How about a September 12 game against Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners?

Last year, Underwood threw for 142 yards on 9-24 passing in Norman. The offense’s only touchdown of the game came on a long run from Justice Haynes on the opening drive of the second half.

They’re going to need more than that against the top teams in the country.

The good news? Marsh hardly played that night. Buchanan was not on the roster. If nothing else, this new duo provides hope that Michigan may have some help in the passing game to help make their offense multi-dimensional.

With #Michigan in the process of figuring out who its best five offensive linemen are — Jim Harding revealed Andrew Babalola is right in the mix at left tackle.

The sky is the limit for Babalola and a high draft pick could be in his future.

MORE: https://t.co/SKORXSAOpQ pic.twitter.com/kVo1pp2Iku
— Trent Knoop (@TrentKnoop) August 7, 2026

Add us as a preferred source on Google