WR transfer portal target Jahmal Banks commits to NEB
January 11th, 2024 at 9:46 AM ^
Damn I thought we could get him. We need some guys to step up at WR or portal a guy in. Probably doesn’t help no one knows if either coach or QB will come back, and who’s gonna replace them.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:51 AM ^
Whoever the next coach is will need to overhaul the passing game. Think new WRs coach(Bellamy hasn’t done a great job there). I’d bring back Soup and move Bellamy to a different position/recruiting area.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:57 AM ^
I like Bellamy a lot and he's helped a lot with recruiting but yes he has been very underwhelming as a WR coach. From someone I know within the program, him and Andrel did not click AT ALL.
Once we are without JJ no matter who it is, we're going to have to rely more on traditional dropback passing and not count on a QB extending plays for the WRs to receive separation. Going to need to improve going forward in the passing game for sure.
I wouldn't be surprised if they put Bellamy back in the Secondary if Jim leaves and give Clink the full-time DC role.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:49 AM ^
Didn’t Nebraska basically change to an option-style offense because they didn’t have a QB that could throw? Maybe their 5* freshman QB will come in and change that, but I wouldn’t count on it.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:27 AM ^
They are not going to run an option offense with Dylan Raiola.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:49 AM ^
Dylan Raiola effect?
January 11th, 2024 at 9:50 AM ^
I really wish Clemons would have given it another year, because as of right now, he would be the only non-freshman guy for the Johnson role correct?
January 11th, 2024 at 9:52 AM ^
Cristian Dixon is a bigger type receiver.
January 11th, 2024 at 9:56 AM ^
Forgot he was even on the roster. Has he played at all?
January 11th, 2024 at 9:59 AM ^
Peyton O'Leary has gotten a significant amount of hype each of the past two springs...is he the next man up???
January 11th, 2024 at 5:14 PM ^
If he was you’d think he would’ve gotten more time on the field than he did
January 11th, 2024 at 10:00 AM ^
WR next year is going to... be a problem.
They already have passing game issues that extend outside of the WRs and now you're looking at a bunch of slot types trying to fill the 2 deep.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:04 AM ^
They got nine nine months to fix it, but yeah, this is a problem.
Whoever the coach is the passing game needs to be a focus in the offseason. Transfer portal needs to be scoured for guys who can help. New WRs coach is needed.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:38 AM ^
Agree...they had a hard time getting open for most of the year...especially against talented teams. Gotta figure something out.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:54 AM ^
The passing game has issues at every level.
Schematically they could not get guys open against good defenses except on PA (not always) and Loveland on LBs, but even then they still didn't throw it to him enough. I'm reminded of the '22 Maryland game when they'd drop 7 or 8 guys into zone and Michigan ran all 4 eligible WRs into those zones. That happened like 3 times because they just couldn't figure out how to scheme up something.
WRs couldn't create separation and couldn't get off the LoS. Earlier in the year teams would play off and let Michigan throw those quick 4-6 yard outs/curls. Washington emphatically did not do that and Michigan couldn't take those easy yards.
Then you have the WR development/play issue. CJ just could not make the easy catches. He torched OSU's DBs in '22, but those guys played off coverage and couldn't stay within 5 yards of him. Had more to do with OSU's DBs shitting their pants than anything else. He has drops or Wilson, with all his speed, can't consistently get open either.
And finally play calling in general. Those screens against OSU, Bama, and Washington all got blown the hell up because they telegraphed them/threw into numbers disadvantages/had guys straight up not block a dude that left a free hitter.
The rest of the offense is very good. That passing game is not.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:27 AM ^
Passing game needs major work. Main area of improvement this off-season.
January 11th, 2024 at 6:47 PM ^
I ain’t optimistic. They spent this past offseason touting how Campbell was a good hire because he had so much influence and impact on the previous year’s passing game. Idk about yal, but I never once looked at our 2022 passing attack and thought, “yes, more of that please.”
January 11th, 2024 at 4:38 PM ^
Morris, Semaj, and Loveland is a pretty good starting point. One quality guy out of the portal, preferably a taller Nico type and I'd be quite happy... Or Donovan comes back and is moved to WR.
January 12th, 2024 at 9:07 AM ^
It's not really though. Between Morris and Morgan that's ~400 yards in their careers combined.
Morris has the most experience but he's a slot type and wasn't so good as an underclassman to push Michigan to run more 3 WR sets in favor of 2 TE sets.
Morgan did have his moments but he's not built like a guy that can propel this passing offense forward.
Both slot type guys so they lack an outside WR and again, they're not pushing this passing offense to the next level. Loveland is really good! And... he still only had 13 receptions in the last 4 games of the season. That's not enough.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:08 AM ^
I think that the whiffs in the portal can be explained by all of the posts that start with, "Whoever is the coach next season...." By the time we know if Jim is returning, it might be pretty late in the game to hit the portal.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:10 AM ^
Portal opens again after spring practice.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:14 AM ^
Yeah, I don't mean it will be closed, but a lot of our top targets are going off of the board. Jim has earned the right to pursue whatever path he chooses, but the uncertainty probably does hurt us in the short run.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
Somehow that hasn't been a problem for roster building each of the last two years
January 11th, 2024 at 12:05 PM ^
Well, one of the key guys responsible for that roster building may be leaving. This is probably my favorite Michigan team of all time (and I was there in 97-98), but there is no denying that if Jim leaves and does so late in the game, it will have an impact.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^
Just took a look at the portal. The following guys are still available:
Evan Stewart , Texas A&M 6' 2022 recruit
CJ Daniels , Liberty 6' 2" Grad Transfer (?)
And that's pretty much it for 4 star transfers 6' or over.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:17 AM ^
I’d like to see Michigan take a run at both of those guys. Stewart may not be big, but he is talented.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:21 AM ^
Daniels has talent. Needs to work on his hands but athletic.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:15 AM ^
Who knew Nebraska had such bags.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:18 AM ^
They're called "udders" in Nebraska.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:32 AM ^
No good receiver is committing to us when we don’t know who the coach or QB will be. This shit can’t happen every year.
January 11th, 2024 at 10:39 AM ^
But yet it does indeed happen pretty much every year under Jim.
January 11th, 2024 at 12:07 PM ^
Good thing he is one of the best coaches of all time, to offset the negative impacts of the uncertainty he creates. Having Jim sign the big contract and remove that uncertainty would make roster-building even easier, I would assume.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:01 AM ^
Get Clemons to come back from portal.
January 11th, 2024 at 11:25 AM ^
Lost out on the Northwestern DB, now this. Boy those two guys would have been big pieces to a '24 roster. Need Harbaugh & QB clarity immediately.
January 11th, 2024 at 12:22 PM ^
i think the bigger reason is that when these kids are being recruited by Michigan, they're told they'll be given a chance to compete for a starting job. With other schools, they're probably telling these kids they'll be a starter. you'll miss out on more kids but I'd rather have those who want to compete vs ones who want things handed to them
January 11th, 2024 at 12:38 PM ^
Fuuuck.
January 11th, 2024 at 12:39 PM ^
O'Leary is our only WR over 6'.
That, is not ideal.
January 11th, 2024 at 3:09 PM ^
Fudge. The passing game needs some work. This does not help. Why the heck would does h want to go to Nebraska? Even with the NIL situation being good the 'Huskers have been trying to improve their passing game for years without many signs of progress. What makes Banks think that a freshman QB, even a 5*, is going to change things now? Then again our passing game has been nothing special for decades either.