Ann Arbor — First-year Michigan receivers coach Micah Simon met with reporters on Monday, but first he had to explain his appearance.
“Just ran those gassers with the guys,” Simon said. “Sweating a little bit.”
It wasn’t all that long ago that Simon, 29, was running gassers as a receiver at BYU during his college career that ended after the 2019 season. He still looks like he can play and ventured a guess that he could probably get out there now for 10 plays.
But the way Michigan’s receiver room is stocked, the Wolverines don’t need Simon to be anything but a coach. There’s Andrew Marsh, Michigan’s top returning receiver who had 651 yards on 45 catches and four touchdowns last season as a freshman. Now a sophomore, he has set his goals this season to include becoming the program’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Jeremy Gallon in 2013 and a Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s best receiver.
Then there’s Utah transfer JJ Buchanan, a 50-50 ball threat who had 427 yards and five touchdowns last year. Michigan also added Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench, and two players who have received high praise during camp are four-star recruits Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa.
As it stands with two weeks of camp left, Marsh and Buchanan are locked in and now it’s about establishing a third receiver. Johnson’s name has popped up multiple times as coaches and players have spoken with reporters this month. Simon said what will determine that receiver — although he made clear the two freshmen will play this fall — is their dependability and trustworthiness.
“Who can block when they’re asked to block?” Simon said of another factor. “Obviously, we’re gonna be one of the top rushing offenses, (and there’s) the perimeter run game with the receivers, and you got to be able to block. And then off of that is being able to to win man-to-man. You know, sit in zones and be a smart football player and make plays that way.
“A lot of the guys that are in that race are all the ones that everyone’s kind of been talking about — the two freshmen, Travis and Salesi, Jaime Ffrench and then for me, seeing Channing Goodwin for the first time in fall camp since he was out in spring. Seeing what he’s able to bring to the table has been awesome. The room is really young with a lot of these guys, so he brings a veteran presence, which is awesome. Outside of those guys, Kendrick Bell has played a lot and done a lot of good things so far. I guess I’ll say that I got a good problem.”
Quarterback Bryce Underwood, who started every game last season as a freshman, has worked in the offseason on his game and developing timing and chemistry with the receivers. He has a big arm and now has receivers who can take advantage of those 50-50 type balls like Allen Robinson II, the former Orchard Lake St. Mary’s standout who was so good in those types of situations while at Penn State and during a long NFL career.
Simon said Buchanan and Johnson, because of their basketball backgrounds, stand out when it comes to contested catches and 50-50 balls. Buchanan showed off that skill while at Utah last year.
“He’s a fast player, but he’s super athletic,” Simon said of Johnson. “He was a great hoops player in high school, and you see that on the field the way he can attack the ball in the air. And he moves very fluid. Him and Salesi, the growth that those two have had from spring to now, it’s second to none. The steps that they’ve made from over the summer have been awesome to see, and they’re continually getting better each day.”
While Buchanan has the advantage of a year of experience in coordinator Jason Beck’s offense and Simon’s coaching at Utah last season, Marsh has had a seamless transition.
“Smart player, savvy player,” Simon said of Marsh. “He’s fluid in his route running. He’s really smooth. Things come easy for him. Sometimes it may not look like he’s trying all the time, but it’s just so smooth. And then his ball skills, they’re one of the best that I’ve seen. Some of the catches he’s made have been has been awesome.”
That Simon is young is appealing to the players. He played at BYU then began his coaching career in 2022 as an analyst at Syracuse where Beck coached quarterbacks. He also was with Beck in 2024 when he was the offensive coordinator at New Mexico and then at Utah last year.
Simon has that credibility having been a receiver in college, and the Michigan players feel he understands what they’re going through. He also knows how to communicate what they need to know and how to perform on the field.
“I feel like he’s come in a younger guy, (and) he’s someone that we can relate to a lot,” Marsh said during a break in preseason camp last week. “And really, just his time away from ball hasn’t been too long. So he’s someone who understands it as a player a lot more.”
Simon said he sees his age as an advantage and intends to maintain a youthful approach to coaching.
“It’s funny because it’s like I don’t ever want to lose that, right?” Simon said. “I’m 29 now, but when I’m 49, I don’t want that to go away, (and people) saying like, ‘Oh, you old fart,’ or something like, ‘You can’t relate to these guys.’
“It’s more of just being in tune to what they want and what they want to accomplish, and that’s where I relate the most. We might listen to the same music or watch the same shows or whatever, but it’s more of really understanding who they want to become as a person and as a player. And I just hold them accountable to that.”
achengelis@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Battle for No. 3 receiver ‘a good problem’ for Michigan football
Reporting by Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
