Michigan Football wide receiver room without AJ Henning

On Monday Michigan senior WR AJ Henning announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal and play out his remaining eligibility somewhere other than Ann Arbor.

Michigan WR A.J. Henning to enter transfer portal - Maize&BlueReview (rivals.com)

Henning's role never expanded much beyond gadget plays on offense and return specialist on kickoffs and punt returns. The former top WR recruit is likely to be coveted by a team where he better fits the offensive scheme. Henning was part of the "speed in space" recruiting wave, and struggled to find snaps when Michigan went back to a more run heavy scheme.

Not a starter, but Henning was 4th in receiving amongst Michigan wide receivers last year. Let's take a look at what his departure means for the receiver room as a whole, and players to watch with potentially more opportunities available.

Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson are Michigan's most experienced leading receivers returning to Ann Arbor in 2023 and the favorites to get heavy target share with Ronnie Bell headed to the NFL. How they are used the offense may depend more on the two sophomores behind them.

Darrius Clemons and Tyler Morris were part of the "freak show" WR group that committed in 2022. Although neither saw much action last year, each has monster potential and are expected to take big leaps in their sophomore seasons. In fact, it would not be surprising to see either one finish the season with WR1 like numbers. Bell had more targets than Johnson and Wilson combined last year, so they aren't locks to be the top receiver.

At 6'3" 214, Clemons is built for the outside X receiver role. If Michigan believes he has WR1 potential this year, he could move Johnson to a role similar to Ronnie Bell on the outside, while Roman Wilson would remain primarily in the slot where he took 90% of his snaps last season.

Morris is a textbook slot receiver. He shows excellent hands and runs smart crisp routes, especially in the short and intermediate range. Morris also possesses sneaky good vertical talent, the former track star could surprise some folks. Being a former high school teammate of starting quarterback JJ McCarthy can't hurt either.

These 4 receivers will likely rotate and be deployed strategically based on matchups, but they always appeared to be the top 4 and Henning's departure doesn't impact that.

Morris' potential and rise up the depth chart likely played a factor in Henning's decision to enter the transfer portal. Wilson and Morris are heavy favorites to get primary snaps in the slot, along with running back Donovan Edwards and tight end Colston Loveland.

A couple freshman who had strong springs are now in solid position to be part of Michigan's top 6 receivers.

Michigan has had two tiers of receivers the last few seasons in terms of snap share, a top 3 and a top 6 if you will. While I think it is likely there is more of a top 4 this year, there are opportunities for impact snaps as part of the wide receiver rotation. Semaj Morgan and Fred Moore were talked about often this spring, and now look positioned to turn strong camps into fall contributions.

Morgan has gotten comparison to Henning at times, he is an electric athlete who is a home run waiting to happen when he gets his hands on the ball. Would not be surprised to see him get looks this year in the passing game, on end arounds, and he could be the leading choice to replace Henning in the return game.

Moore reminds me a lot of a Tyler Morris. Moore is ahead of the game when it comes to route running, and he has a chance to thrive in an area Michigan receivers have struggled the last two seasons, getting separation. I prefer Moore on the outside, especially has his frame fills out, but he can make plays in the slot as well. Wouldn't be shocked to see Michigan try to take advantage of Moore's talents in the same way they tried to use Andrel Anthony last season.

Peyton O'Leary was a star of the Maize and Blue Spring Game and has been getting practice hype since he arrived at Michigan. O'Leary is more of an outside receiver and Henning's departure doesn't really impact his role. However, snaps are snaps and O'Leary may have a better chance of achieving his goal as a top 6 receiver this year with Michigan not forcing Henning's playmaking on the field.

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