It was revealed last night that redshirt sophomore wide receiver Oliver Martin had entered his name into the NCAA's transfer portal after spending just two seasons in Ann Arbor.
Martin redshirted as a freshman in 2017 before appearing in all 13 games last year, hauling in 11 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Though he likely would have been behind juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones and redshirt sophomore Tarik Black on the 2019 wide receiver depth chart, it's still probable he would have at least contributed next year.
So what impact does his likely departure have on U-M's wide receiving unit?
It will obviously hurt the depth at the spot, but the aforementioned trio at the top remains intact and the strength of the unit.
In fact, one may be hard-pressed to find a better receiving trio in the entire country than Collins, Peoples-Jones and Black — the latter was limited to just six games last year due to injury, but the former two combined for 1,244 yards and 14 touchdowns with a total of one drop between them (according to Pro Football Focus).
Martin likely understood it was going to be difficult to overtake any of those three on the depth chart next season, and also faced growing competition from two young competitors in sophomore Ronnie Bell and freshman Mike Sainristil.
The former exceeded everyone's expectations last year as a freshman by playing in all 13 games and hauling in eight catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and — according to the coaches — improved substantially this spring.
Sainristil, meanwhile, was the talk of spring ball, apparently making highlight reel plays on a consistent basis and showing off incredible speed as an early enrolled freshman.
It's likely he would have stolen some of Martin's snaps this fall, as it became more and more apparent as the spring went on that he was going to be a contributor in 2019.
With that being said, the Iowa native still would have been two years older than Sainristil next season, and would have had a leg up on him when it comes to learning the playbook, navigating the grind of a collegiate lifestyle, etc.
On top of that, it remains to be seen how well Sainristil actually adjusts to the college game and whether or not he can make the impact as a freshman that some are expecting him to.
Martin's exit has the potential to become a lot more meaningful if someone near the top of the depth chart were to go down with injury.
A quick glance at the wide receivers on the roster reveals that Michigan is actually incredibly young at the spot — out of the nine wideouts it is slated to have on the team in 2019, Collins and Peoples-Jones are the only two bonafide veterans of the bunch, with freshmen making up five of the nine spots.
Here are the nine pass catchers who will be on U-M's roster in the fall, ordered by year:
• Nico Collins (junior)
• Donovan Peoples-Jones (junior)
• Tarik Black (redshirt sophomore)
• Ronnie Bell (sophomore)
• Giles Jackson (freshman)
• Cornelius Johnson (freshman)
• George Johnson (freshman)
• Quintel Kent (freshman)
• Mike Sainristil (freshman)
It would not be a surprise to see the receiving totals for the top four men on the list all increase from last season, especially when considering the type of offense first-year coordinator Josh Gattis will look to run.
Michigan's 26.7 attempts per contest in 2018 ranked 104th nationally, and it's no secret Gattis would like that number to increase. He has preached getting the ball to the Wolverines' best play makers in space, and sure enough, the club's top play makers appear to be its wide receivers.
A more spread out system will also likely result in a deeper receiver rotation, which would have allowed Martin to see the field more.
Hailing from Iowa City, the hometown Hawkeyes are heavily expected to be his landing spot.
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