Ranking the wide receivers Michigan football will face in 2022

Throughout the offseason, TMBR is ranking the position groups Michigan football will face in 2022. Beginning with quarterbacks, we'll rank each position group on both sides of the ball and special teams.

Before we begin, here's Michigan's 2022 schedule for reference.

Week 1: vs. Colorado State

Week 2: vs. Hawaii

Week 3: vs. UCONN

Week 4: vs. Maryland (HC)

Week 5: at Iowa

Week 6: at Indiana

Week 7: vs. Penn State

Week 8: vs. Michigan State

Week 9: at Rutgers

Week 10: vs. Nebraska

Week 11: vs. Illinois

Week 12: at Ohio State

Hawaii's wide receiver room is rough.

Zion Bowens & Jonah Panoke combined for 23 catches and one touchdown last season. Those are most likely the starting wideouts for the Rainbow Warriors, and there's little to no experience behind them.

Yikes!

The Colorado State beat isn't encouraging about the wide receiver group.

"While the group will likely be explosive, it's also one of the more in-flux position groups heading into fall. Horton, the 6-foot-2 transfer from Nevada is a star in waiting. Stovall, the 5-foot-8 slot, has big playmaking ability. Holdovers McCullouch and Wright have adapted well to the system. McCullouch could start. Wright will likely be behind Stovall as top slot but he will be used in this offense." -- Kevin Lytle, The Coloradoan

Shockingly, UCONN's group has a lot more to offer than CSU's at the time of writing.

Today's the day UCONN doesn't rank last.

Sophomore Keelan Marion returns after a true freshman season where he led the team in receiving yards and averaged over 17 yards a catch.

As a redshirt freshman, Kevins Clercius, who caught 20 passes and three touchdowns, is back for his sophomore campaign. At 6-foot-2, the Frenchman is physical and an intriguing matchup for any one of Michigan's corners.

Last in the trio is Old Dominion grad transfer Nigel Fitzgerald, who's lit up UCONN camp after a career plagued with injuries at ODU.

This trio is an exciting, talented group that will only be as good as their quarterback will allow them to be. If there's accuracy in the pocket, this group will be exciting.

The Illini have a concerning wide receiver room once more due to the unknowns and a severe lack of depth.

"The wide receiver position has been a point of weakness for the Illini for much of the last few seasons, and it projects to be another question mark heading into the 2022 season. Isaiah Williams leads this group with his explosive playmaking ability and first-year offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. should find ways to get him the ball on a more consistent basis than Tony Petersen did a year ago." -- Alec Busse, Orange & Blue News

Brian Hightower is cleared to play and has a high upside and big-play ability, while freshman Shawn Miller enrolled early and might crack the rotation.

"The biggest detail for this group this season is staying healthy. Should Williams, Washington or another projected key contributor get hurt and have to miss a significant portion amount of time the Illini could be stretched pretty thin."

Iowa's receivers weren't good last year, and the room looks similar.

Last season, this unit dropped 24 passes, according to PFF.

The Hawkeyes return Charlie Jones, an explosive returner who became a productive wideout late last season, and Nico Ragiani & Arland Bruce, who caught 26 & 25 passes, respectively.

In his spring preview, Tom Kakert of Hawkeye Report noted that Iowa didn't have a wideout with a spring breakout. That can't be good news.

However, we'll talk tight ends tomorrow.

Ty Fryfogle is gone, and there's a brand-new look to this room thanks to the transfer portal -- sound familiar?

Indiana added a North Carolina transfer in Emery Simmons, who only caught 11 passes at UNC in 2021, and a JUCO transfer in Cam Camper, who caught 28 passes over 500 yards last season.

All eyes are on D.J. Johnson, a Florida State transfer who, before tearing his ACL in 2021, totaled 84 receptions for 809 yards and five touchdowns to go along with one punt return TD in 35 games.

The vets and incoming freshmen will compete, but the transfers have the best chance of starting.

Again, unknowns.

Bo Melton is gone, and the cupboard isn't dry, but we have no clue what's inside it. So let's open it and find out.

"I think we’ve added some good players that are going to help," Greg Schiano said in a spring presser. "The guys that were here are performing at a higher level. Overall, I think our receiver room has taken steps up and continue to go in the right direction."

Taj Harris might be the reason for all the optimism. Harris transferred from Syracuse, where he has the fifth-most catches (151) and eighth-most receiving yards (2,028) in school history. Sean Ryan came over from West Virginia, where he tallied just under 400 yards last season.

It's an unproven group as far as experience together, but individually the talent is there to rank Rutgers higher after a few games.

The transfer portal chronicles continue as Scott Frost added LSU transfer Trey Palmer and New Mexico State transfer Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda.

Back for the Huskers are Omar Manning, Zavier Betts, aaaaand Oliver Martin.

Yes, that Oliver Martin.

It's a talented and promising group that should excel if it carries the momentum from Samori Toure's 2021 season.

Maryland is getting a substantially impactful wideout back from injury in Dontay Demus, who exploded last season before tearing his ACL.

Jeshaun Jones is back from injury as well, and he contributed to every game before suffering a season-ending injury himself.

Rakim Jarrett has an electric skill-set, and if he ascends from last season, he'll be a star with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa's accuracy.

Marcus Fleming came on late as a redshirt freshman and will factor in the mix.

The Terps' wideout room is an exciting group primarily because of the quarterback throwing to them but also because of its talent.

Penn State has to replace Jahan Datson, and while he won't be able to replicate his exact style, Parker Washington's 60 receptions and over 800 yards last year are a heckuva follow-up.

And with a depth concern at the position, James Franklin went and nabbed Western Kentucky's Mitchell Tinsley, who totaled 87 catches last season.

The Nittany Lions have one of the Big Ten's better quarterbacks with a potential star in Washington and a go-to target in any situation with Tinsley.

There's still a depth concern past the top four, but this is a dangerous group if the health is maintained.

Jayden Reed is back, and like it or not, this fall, Michigan's two biggest rivals have the two best wide receiver rooms in the conference.

Even with Jailen Nailor gone, Reed's electrifying on-field abilities coupled with his and Payton Thorne's chemistry is enough to rank this room as high as it is.

However, it also returns Tre Mosley (35 catches) and a host of others, including freshman Germie Bernard.

Reed and Mosley will benefit most from having a quarterback like Thorne, who moves well in the pocket and allows them to be deep threats if their running backs decoy in play-action half as good as Kenneth Walker did.

Going down the only road, I've ever known!

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is back to terrorize us all. Meanwhile, Marvin Harrison's son, who I'm sure is some mega-superstar sitting behind the mega superstars before him (first-round picks Garrett Wilson & Chris Olave) waiting to join in on the "fun."

Elsewhere, Julian Fleming is a former five-star who has the ceiling to turn himself into a high-round pick with a successful season. And oh yeah, redshirt freshman Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 123 yards in the spring game.

This group isn't as top-heavy as Wilson & Olave, only because Harrison, Jr. and the crew aren't getting preseason draft hype since they've sat behind those two. But there's a chance it's just as productive this season as last.

Why? JSN is as good or better than Olave & Wilson, and C.J. Stroud is the quarterback.

Have fun with that, every cornerback in the Big Ten.

---

Not a subscriber to The Maize and Blue Review? Sign up today!

Discuss this article on our premium message boards

Follow our staff on Twitter @MaizeBlueReview, @JoshHenschke, @BrandonJustice_, @DanielDash_, @DennisFithian, @StephenToski, @Baird_CJ, @ZachLibby, @JimScarcelli, @TrevorMcCue

Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Subscribe to The Maize and Blue Review on YouTube!

Like The Maize and Blue Review on Facebook!