Wide receiver is not only perhaps the strongest unit on Michigan’s whole team heading into 2019, but could also make a case for being one of the strongest position groups in the entire country.
Juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and redshirt sophomore Tarik Black are the headliners, but sophomore Ronnie Bell also showed plenty of potential last season as a freshman when he hauled in eight catches for 145 yards and two scores.
Despite the fact that Collins and Peoples-Jones have both been out this spring with injury, Bell admitted he hasn’t noticed much of a change in terms of the number of reps he has been receiving.
“It’s just practice, so we get plenty of reps either way,” he laughed. “It doesn’t necessarily feel any different than usual — it’s still just football.”
Another youngster who has been benefitted from Collins’ and Peoples-Jones’ absences has been freshman wideout Mike Sainristil.
The youngster enrolled in January after graduating from Everett High School in Massachusetts, and has received plenty of praise in the early going from both his teammates and from head coach Jim Harbaugh, thanks to the blazing speed he has showcased.
Sainristil's outstanding play so far even led Harbaugh to tab the freshman as a current starter at his press conference last week.
“Mike has showed up and done his thing since Day 1,” Bell exclaimed.
First-year offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has emphasized ‘speed in space’ during his three months on the job, and that mantra should fit both Sainristil’s and Bell’s skill sets perfectly.
“I was excited when I heard he was coming in, especially when he talked about utilizing everybody,” the sophomore receiver recalled, referring to Gattis. “It has been a lot of fun doing that this spring.
“Things should look a lot faster too, so that’ll be one of the bigger changes for us. I actually ran the same kind of offense in high school, so it’s kind of a reminisce-type deal for me.
“I think a lot of our guys played in a similar type of offense before they got here, because that’s just kind of how football is evolving. Having played in it before makes things a little easier for everyone this time around, because you just think back to how you ran it.
“Josh Gattis is just an overall intense, exciting and confident guy. He’s the receivers coach, but really coaches everybody up on the field.
“By our third or fourth practice, we could tell we were starting to flow offensively as a group, and that’s when we really started figuring things out.”
The transition of the quarterbacks in the new offense has been a hot topic of discussion, and reports have indicated that the top three — senior Shea Patterson, redshirt sophomore Dylan McCaffrey and redshirt freshman Joe Milton — have all assimilated to it well.
“Shea has looked good and has done his thing,” Bell explained when asked about Patterson specifically. “He has adapted as well as everybody else.”
Notes
• Bell received a handful reps on both punt and kick returns last season as a freshman, but the primary jobs belonged to Peoples-Jones and then-sophomore cornerback Ambry Thomas, respectively.
Harbaugh, however, recently tabbed Bell as the current starter at both positions, which obviously means he has apparently leapfrogged Thomas on the kick return duties.
“It’s always been something I’ve enjoyed doing and I practiced all of last season at both, so it’s nothing too different," he explained when asked about increased duties at both spots. "[Redshirt freshman viper] Mike Barrett is back there with me on kick returns and has been doing a good job as well."
• The sophomore wideout was asked yesterday which defensive back is the toughest to go up against in practice, and he didn't hesitate when providing an answer.
“Ambry Thomas and [redshirt freshman] Vince [Gray] have both done an excellent job, and [senior safety] Josh [Metellus] has done a great job of being a leader for us," Bell said. "You know Ambry will bring it every time, because he’s physical right out of the gate at the line of scrimmage.”
• Bell was actually expected to play basketball in college for most of his high school career, having been committed to the home-state Missouri State Bears at one time. Those plans changed when Michigan came calling, however, though he admitted he still misses being on the hardcourt every now and then.
“A little bit sometimes, especially when I see big games like that," he said, referring to Monday night's National Championship game between Virginia and Texas Tech.
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