Michigan receivers helping establish new offensive identity

When Tyler Morris burst into the endzone for a 38-yard touchdown against Alabama in the Rose Bowl, he burst onto the scene for the Michigan football team. The first touchdown of the now-junior receiver’s career couldn’t have come in a bigger moment. He called it the stuff of dreams, and said there was “no better time for that to be my first one.”

That was his moment, and now it’s his time.

“The guy that I had a nice conversation with yesterday that needs to be the leader of the (receiver) room is Tyler Morris,” offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell said Tuesday. “It’s his time. We view him as a starter. He started last year if we were in 11 personnel, so he needs to step up in that role. Roman Wilson, Cornelius Johnson aren’t here anymore. Tyler Morris, it’s your time.”

Even though the Wolverines lost their top-producing receivers — as well as most of their offensive starters — from last season, they have the utmost confidence in the players stepping into those roles. Much of that confidence comes from knowing that the players coming up have plenty of experience under their belts.

“We have a lot of guys with experience, so that gives you a lot of confidence there,” Campbell said. “I’m excited to see who steps up to be the explosive outside receiver. We got a lot of talent in the receiving room, the tight end room, the running back room, … so I couldn’t be any more confident in the ability of those guys.”

Senior running back Donovan Edwards and junior tight end Colston Loveland are the most well-known contributors, but players such as Morris and sophomore receiver Semaj Morgan created memorable moments last season too. Now, the young receivers will be essential in establishing a revamped offensive identity.

According to Campbell, Morgan’s versatility has been on display through the offseason, showcasing his ability to be more than a slot and trick play guy, which mostly comprised his role last season. Behind Morris and Morgan on the depth chart are sophomores Kendrick Bell and Fredrick Moore, who will likely see more action after impressing in the spring game.

The receiving core will play a key role in defining Michigan’s offense as Campbell and company search for the ideal run-pass breakdown. Last season’s ideal of a 50-50 split may or may not be the goal anymore.

“When you’re calling a football game, there’s a feel to it,” Campbell said. “You can just feel when there should be a pass play or play action pass or where a quarterback needs a complimentary pass. We’re not going to put any strict numbers on that. We’ll evaluate that every week what we did as far as … how we called the game, if we were a pass heavy team out of this formation or a run heavy team.”

Campbell plans to use that self-evaluation to help put a name on the Wolverines’ evolving offensive identity, but he cares more about winning games than labeling how his team does it.

The established stars in Edwards and Loveland provided the foundation of Michigan’s new-look offense, while the result of the ongoing quarterback battle will define its floor and ceiling. And in the meantime, the emerging receivers are adding walls of support and creating doors — doors that will open as the Wolverines determine the role of their pass game within their new offensive identity.

The post Michigan receivers helping establish new offensive identity appeared first on The Michigan Daily.


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