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Nico Collins The Next Michigan Great To Wear No. 1?

There's no patch on the uniform to signify the powerful meaning that the No. 1 holds for Michigan players and the Wolverine faithful alike, but there's an understanding surrounding the digit when worn on a Maize and Blue jersey — it's special.

Legendary U-M wideout Anthony Carter (1979-82) established the legacy for the number, making donning it a coveted honor that has been since given to deserving wing-helmeted wide receivers such as Greg McMurtry (1986-89), Derrick Alexander (1989-93), David Terrell (1998-2000), Braylon Edwards (2001-04) and others.

It appears senior Nico Collins will be the next receiver to sport the number, according to a graphic he posted on his Instagram story Monday (Collins has worn No. 4 at U-M up to this point).

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Michigan Wolverines football's Nico Collins will wear the No. 1 jersey.
Michigan Wolverines football's Nico Collins will wear the No. 1 jersey. (Nico Collins / Instagram)
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Following a 2019 campaign that saw him post 37 receptions for 729 yards with a team-leading seven touchdowns and a Big Ten-best 19.7 yards per catch, Collins opted to return to school for his senior year, rather than take his shot professionally in the NFL.

Four former No. 1s are in the top-11 in career receiving yards at U-M — Edwards (1), Carter (2), Terrell (5) and McMurty (11) — which begs the question, will Collins rise to the occasion and not just become the next Wolverine to wear No. 1, but the next Wolverine great to do so?

So far in his career, he's racked up 1,388 yards and 13 scores on 78 receptions, meaning he's 66 catches, 859 receiving yards and four touchdowns shy of earning himself a spot on the top-10 list for all three categories in school history (and needs just 775 yards to knock McMurty out of the 11th spot in all-time receiving yardage).

Having a season comprised of only 10 games, all against conference foes, doesn't help Collins' chances of putting himself in such elite company in the record books, but it's certainly possible — and probably likely — that he'll get there in at least one category (if there's a season).

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Collins didn't lead the Wolverines in receptions or yards last season (junior Ronnie Bell did), but he's considered U-M's "most exciting player," and one of the most dynamic downfield threats in the conference, with a chance as a senior to prove he's one of the top pass-catchers in the country. Lofty expectations have been placed on Collins heading into this fall, but they've been raised even higher with his new number change, considering how others throughout history have fared while wearing 1.

Just 17 Wolverines have worn No. 1 throughout history, with senior cornerback Ambry Thomas being one of them. The last U-M wide receiver to wear the digit was Kekoa Crawford in 2016-17, before he transferred to Cal. Prior to Crawford, it was Devin Funchess in 2014.

Other notable number changes this season include sophomore wide receiver Giles Jackson switching to No. 0, which is now allowed per new NCAA rules. Freshman defensive back Andre Seldon will also wear No. 0.

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