Michigan Wolverines football redshirt sophomore receiver Tarik Black entered his name into the transfer portal this morning, in a move that didn't necessarily come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the team closely over the last several months.
Black's 25 catches and 323 yards this season were both fourth most on the team, but he saw his playing time decrease significantly as the year went on.
After averaging 50.5 snaps through Michigan's first seven games, Black saw that number dip to just 26 over the club's final five.
The 20 snaps Black saw against Ohio State on Nov. 30 were a season-low, and he failed to eclipse 31 in any of the final five contests after doing so in each of the team's first seven.
Juniors Nico Collins and Donovan Peoples-Jones, and sophomore Ronnie Bell were clearly ahead of him on the depth chart throughout the majority of the campaign, with a pair of freshmen in Giles Jackson and Mike Sainristil even stealing some of his snaps late in the year as well.
With Black's impending departure (he could technically still withdraw his name from the transfer portal and return to Michigan next year, though that seems highly unlikely), U-M is now slated to return seven scholarship wideouts next season — Bell, Collins, Jackson, current freshmen Cornelius Johnson and George Johnson, Peoples-Jones and Sainristil.
That number could potentially dip to five IF Collins and Peoples-Jones decide to go pro, which appears to be a very realistic scenario at this point (or at least one of them).
If both juniors were to leave early, Michigan's receiving group would be incredibly young in 2020, containing only one veteran (Bell as a junior), three sophomores (Jackson, Cornelius Johnson and Sainristil), one redshirt freshman (George Johnson) and whichever freshmen are signed in the recruiting cycle.
The Maize and Blue currently have commitments from three high school wideouts scheduled to join the team next season — Frankfort (Ill.) Lincoln Way East four-star A.J. Henning, Honolulu St. Louis three-star Roman Wilson and Shrewsbury (Mass.) St. Johns three-star Eamonn Dennis.
Henning is by far the most notable of the bunch, standing as the No. 86 overall player nationally and the second highest rated commit in Michigan's entire 2020 class (behind only Baltimore St. Frances four-star running back Blake Corum, who sits at No. 67 overall).
Even if one of (or both) Collins or Peoples-Jones decides to go pro after this season, U-M's current crop of freshmen showed enough glimpses of production this year to generate excitement for the future.
Sainristil, Jackson and Cornelius Johnson all hauled in exactly one touchdown catch this season, with all three of them enjoying their own 'wow moments' (Sainristil's 73-yard outing and 26-yard TD reception against Notre Dame, Jackson's 97-yard kick return at Maryland, Johnson's 39-yard touchdown catch in the annihilation of MSU, etc.).
Regardless of what Collins and Peoples-Jones decide to do next, Bell will still be around in 2020 to serve as a vital asset and veteran presence among the group.
He outshined Collins, Peoples-Jones and Black for much of the 2019 campaign anyway, leading the club in both catches and yards, with 44 and 705, respectively, through the conclusion of the regular-season.
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