Michigan Football: Two Wide Receivers Are Standing Out This Spring
Much was made of Josh Gattis emphasis on speed when he arrived in Ann Arbor a few years back, coming from Alabama to take U-M’s offensive coordinator position. It hasn’t played out that way the past couple of years — explosive plays have been at a premium, and the offense has labored, if anything — but the third-year coach now believes he has the pieces in place to make it work.
Gattis has coached all kinds of receivers since becoming a coach, big and small, slower and fast. He points to former Penn State receiver Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay) as a guy who was bigger but not a blazer as a guy who didn’t need great speed to become a great player.
When he finally got kids who could move at Alabama, he realized they could make him look good without having much input from him.
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Years ago, I didn’t think speed mattered. I was fortunate enough to coach receivers who weren’t fast guys but with technique and fundamentals, they were very successful,” Gattis said on the In the Trenches podcast with Jon Jansen. “Then there came a time in my career I had a chance to coach guys that had speed, and it made my coaching 10 times better.
“When a guy has the ability to turn a short play into a long play, that takes coaching out the window. That’s all DNA. It’s not just linear speed but movement. Sometimes you can have bigger guys catch well, more linear guys [like Godwin] …”
But the guy who can take the ball a long way on ability alone — they’ve got them, and at the running back position, too, Gattis said.
“[Freshmen] Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards, those guys are as elusive as they come with the ball in their hands out in space,” Gattis said.
In other words, there are no more excuses for the offense based on what Gattis has seen. There are veterans and newcomers who will all get their touches, but the personnel is there.
They need one of the quarterbacks to step up, of course — their choice of Joe Milton, who has transferred only a year after winning the job in spring, didn’t pan out — but Cade McNamara has shown promise, and frosh early enrollee J.J. McCarthy has work to do, but so much natural ability.
But there’s still a place, too, for the guys who aren’t blazers, and Gattis’ example of two guys who have stood out in the receiver room is Exhibit A. Sophomores Cornelius Johnson and Mike Sainristil have elevated their games, and Gattis reserved some of his highest praise for the duo.
“We finally have the speed needed, and now I feel better that we’ve come along with the details. We’ve got guys right now playing at a high level in Cornelius and Mike, and those two guys stand out when you walk out the field with the level of consistency they’re playing with,” he said. “They’re making plays because of the details not just because of how athletic or fast they are. They are applying the whole toolbox to allow those guys to be open.
“Then, having a veteran leader like Ronnie Bell, but also the depth we have with [freshmen] A.J. Henning, Roman Wilson, two true freshmen in Andrel Anthony and Cristian Dixon and this summer we get Xavier Worthy … we’ve got speed. We’ve got a very fast room; they’re athletic can move with the ball in their hands. Now it’s about adding the details and being able to create some separation to be open.”
There’s plenty of work to do before they play a game this fall, but the pieces are in place. Gattis is confident this is the year it all comes together consistently, something that’s been elusive since he arrived in Ann Arbor.
“I’m excited because this is the first time in two years we haven’t had to have a wholesale change. Two years … coming in, the lack of depth we had at running back, the roster we had, we had all brand new players at running back to start the season that had never touched a football in a game-like scenario," he said. "Going into last year, having to replace four starters on the offensive line with all guys that have never really started or played a game …
“When you’ve got that amount of attrition that totally wipes away a position each year, there are challenges. Coming into the fall season, there’s no major attrition. We feel we’ve got good depth across the board — maybe not as deep at some positions, but quality depth of players that have played or started in games.”
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