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Michigan redshirt freshman Oliver Martin has made some great catches in practice … now he’s ready to do it when it counts.
Martin was a fall practice standout last season after showing up on the highlight reels with some of his circus catches, but he admitted the game was a bit fast for him at times. Between that and an injury (AC join in his shoulder), he was forced to sit his first year.
“It was a big learning experience for me,” he said. “Obviously I was redshirted, and there was a big learning curve for the offense. The main thing I needed was to learn the entire playbook last year and being able to process it quickly … doing that, and then getting acclimated to the college level a little bit.
“Between the injury and knowing the playbook and processing it quickly, those were the two major factors. After going through a full year, it’s so much easier, knowing the personnel groups, the formations, the shifts.”
New receivers coach Jim McElwain has been a help, he added. Getting off the line of scrimmage cleanly has been a point of emphasis … so has wining battles for balls with defensive backs.
That’s not an easy task against this crop of Michigan corners —sophomore Ambry Thomas, for one, has made huge strides, Martin said — but they’re holding their own. There are some big play guys that are easy to spot, from sophomores Tarik Black and Donovan Peoples-Jones to junior Eddie McDoom, and Martin hopes to be part of it.
“Making contested catches is a big area we’ve improved on,” he said. “The new coaches we brought in are really emphasizing releases, getting off jams cleaner. They’ve broken it down from a technical standpoint really well, so we’re able to do releases they’re equipping us with pretty easily.
“I like [McElwain] a lot. He’s very relatable, personable. He breaks down the offense so it’s simple for all the players … and then it’s just getting our feet active, swiping hands off, particular releases we have.”
The offense has been simplified a bit this year, Martin added, and the receivers and all the quarterbacks are developing a feel for one another.
“You don’t have to think so much,” Martin said. “I think they’ve done a good job of that. It takes a little time and memorization. After a while, you get it.”
He’s grasping it better than ever, having had a great spring by all accounts, and could be one who breaks on to the scene this fall.
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