The Michigan Wolverines didn’t get much production from their wide receiver room in 2024, as the group combined for five touchdowns on just 80 total receptions last fall.
But the position is gotten bigger and deeper ahead of the 2025 season. The room comprises 16 people on the spring roster, headlined by the 6-foot-5 Donaven McCulley, who transferred from Indiana and is competing to establish himself as WR1.
“This is probably the deepest the room’s been since I’ve been at Michigan,” said receivers coach Ron Bellamy. “Obviously, we got work to do. Guys still have to go prove themselves, but it’s just not young guys that are forced to play, right?
“Fred has experience. Semaj has experience. You look at the young guys: Now you got a guy like Channing Goodwin and I’Marion Stewart that didn’t play last year that are pushing the Fred Moores. And then you got the Donavan McCulleys that, he has the most experience. So now it’s like, all right, go chase him. Everyone’s chasing someone. And to me that creates competition. With competition, if it’s healthy, it brings out the best version of the kids.”
Here are Michigan football wide receiver notes from spring practice:
Michigan has gotten bigger at wide receiver
Between newcomers Donaven McCulley (6-foot-5) and Jamar Browder (6-foot-5), the Michigan receiver room has gotten bigger compared to a season ago. That was by design, as head coach Sherrone Moore and Bellamy have discussed this offseason.
“What the bigger guys gives to you is the one-on-one matchups,” Bellamy said this week. “You can throw the ball up. Those guys, most people call them 50-50 balls. But the ball in the air is ours. That’s the mentality we have. And when you’re starting to roll out 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 guys, most of those guys have basketball backgrounds, right?
“Ball in the air is rebounds to them, boxing people out, using their big body. So, that’s something we did not have last year, for the most part, and we do now. We feel good about the additions that we made to address that. But to me, it takes stress off the play caller and the quarterbacks.”
Of the 16 players listed as wide receivers on the spring roster, half are 6-foot-2 or taller.
And the Wolverines might have the QB to pay it off
Ron Bellamy discussed what he has seen from freshman QB Bryce Underwood and second-year signal-caller Jadyn Davis, who have been splitting reps with the ones in spring practice:
“Jadyn looks good. They both are doing some really good things out there. And, you know, Bryce is – he’s just like the receivers in the sense of he’s learning,” Bellamy said.
“You see the physical talent, ball placement, arm strength, mobility, you see all that stuff. And you get excited because you know what can be once he gets a full grasp of the offense.
“And the same thing with Jadyn Davis. You see, like, ‘Man, okay, this is why we went to Charlotte and got him out of Charlotte.’ Those guys are competing and learning and have a great coach. And Coach Lindsey leading the way, it’s been awesome watching their development, both guys.”
Defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan said the Michigan offense can challenge all areas of the field in ways that are improving his group.
“These guys can make throws from the opposite hash on an 18-yard comeback, and the ball is on the money,” Morgan said. “You’ve got to defend the whole grass with this offense, which I think is always good. They can go tempo, and they can slow it down. They can get an 11, 12 personnel and still do all the different sets.”
From LaMar Morgan’s perspective on the defensive side, Jamar Browder, Andrew Marsh, Donaven McCulley and Fred Moore have all flashed this spring.
Ron Bellamy thinks Donaven McCulley could be the next great Michigan receiver
Erik “Soup” Campbell rejoined the Michigan football program this offseason as an assistant wide receivers coach, and one of his first projects was as an interior decorator: He added photos of former great Michigan receivers to their office in the football facilities.
“It’s a rich tradition of receivers here at Michigan,” Bellamy said. “And you can see the boys take pride in that. On the wall it’s a collage of guys throughout the history of Michigan football. And it’s like, well, who’s next? Who’s going to be the next one of you guys in this room that enters that wall?”
Ron Bellamy’s prediction? Donaven McCulley.
“He has the most experience. He’s played over 1,000 snaps in his college career. So, quite naturally, you would think he would be the next guy on the room and on the wall,” Bellamy said. “And that’s what he’s ascending to. He’s on track. I’ll tell you what, he’s on track to do that.”
A note on Michigan WR Amorion Walker
The fourth-year player appears without a number on the Michigan roster. TMI asked Ron Bellamy about his status:
“He’s just working through something right now. He’s trying to get healthy, working through something,” Bellamy said.
We asked if Walker has been practicing, and Bellamy repeated Walker is “working through something.”
