Michigan sophomore receiver Kekoa Crawford didn’t see a whole lot of time last year as a freshman, only catching four passes for 47 yards.
However, he is expected to take a major step forward in 2017, and perhaps be one of the leaders of an incredibly young receiving corps.
However, he doesn’t necessarily see himself as the veteran of the bunch.
“I still wouldn’t consider myself a veteran,” he said. “Some of the younger guys look to us for advice, and ask how they should adjust to the game. People like [freshman receiver] Donovan [Peoples-Jones] and [freshman receiver] Tarik [Black] are right there with us though.
“[Freshman receiver] Nico [Collins] is another one — he’s such a big dude. He’s probably the tallest receiver we have.”
Even though the aforementioned freshmen have never played a snap in college, Crawford explained that every single receiver on the team is fighting to be the top guy at the position.
“I think every single one of our receivers sees themselves as that No. 1 guy, just as they should,” he explained. “People are starting to separate themselves, and we’re figuring out who can do what the best, and those are the guys who will be on the field.”
Crawford said he understands he needs to continue to improve if he wants to be the top receiver, and he explained where he’s developed the most since last season.
“Getting in and out of my breaks faster,” he revealed. “We’ve been taught to use our arms a lot more, so we don’t let DB’s come up and press us — we’ve got to find a way to get them off.”
Speaking of defensive backs, cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich was very critical of his unit a few days ago, saying they have a long way to go. Crawford, on the other hand, said it’s not as bad as Zordich made it out to be.
“We’ll be alright at corner,” the sophomore said. “[Sophomore cornerback] Lavert [Hill] is one of our big-time corners. We go at each other a lot in practice, along with [sophomore cornerback] David Long. I’m from the same area as David, so we like going against each other. [Freshman cornerback] Ambry [Thomas], B-Wat [redshirt junior cornerback Brandon Watson], [freshman cornerback] Ben [St-Juste] — they all come to work every day.”
Finally, Crawford explained that the whole team is ready to take on Florida, and that he’s actually been ready for a long, long time.
“We’re all anxious and itching for that first game,” he exclaimed. “Once that first play happens, we’ll get that anxiety out. The itch started once we lost to Florida State, at least for me. I’ve been ready to go since then.”
Crawford will get his chance in just eight short days.
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