The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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72 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW WIDE RECEIVERS "It strikes me that the sky is the limit for Amara Darboh." Perry, meanwhile, grew tremendously over the course of the season. He admitted gaining a lot of knowledge between Michigan's disap- pointing season-opening loss at Utah last year and the resounding 41-7 triumph over Florida in the Citrus Bowl. Perry enjoyed a career day in that one, making five catches for 51 yards and his first career touchdown. He'll enter the season with the knowledge that he performed at his best as a rookie on a big stage versus a highly regarded defense. "That's a day I'll never forget," Perry offered. "That was amazing. Being down in that warm weather, playing against a great team — a powerhouse — and really just taking it to them. It was a great week down there." "All three of the interceptions in the Utah game were intended for Grant Perry," Karsch recalled. "While everybody was coming down on Jake Rudock, we were told it wasn't all Jake Rudock's fault. Not to put it on a true fresh- man — man, that's a tough posi- tion to be in. "The fact that he was even on the field is a credit to him. But the catch he made against Florida for the touchdown took an incredible amount of concentration. From my angle, it was one of those classics that looked like it was not going to get there, that it was going to get knocked down. "It got through, and he had to have his hands up and catch it and be sticky in a hurry. That was a more impressive catch from my vantage point than when I saw it on TV. That was one that came through traffic and was more difficult than people realize." Redshirt sophomore Drake Harris secured a half-dozen catches last year, and continues to be a topic for those who know what he can do when he's healthy. He missed his senior season at Grand Rapids Chris- tian High School due to hamstring woes and has lost some time as a Wolverine as well. He made a pair of grabs for 38 yards in Michigan's spring game, and with a huge influx of competition coming in, there will be no lack of motivation to take a step forward. "Staying healthy is a big part of it," Karsch said. "He can be a Jehu Chesson-kind of receiver, to be able to use the speed he has. At one point, it was a legitimate question as to whether he would ever see the field. Now he's seen the field, and it's time to get better. "Drake Harris has a unique skill set — tall, fast, and he won't be the focus of any defense. None of the wide receivers will, anyway. They're all operating in the shadow of the All-American tight end, who will probably be the highest bullet point on every defensive coordinator's scouting report for Michigan. "Then you get to the receivers and if you line up with two wide, and one of them is No. 14, while you've got 88 and 86, the coverage isn't rolling toward 14. The cover- age is rolling toward Jake Butt and Jehu Chesson. Harris is in a position where he could make some real plays this year." Redshirt sophomore Maurice Ways got into 11 games last year, making a pair of starts. He recorded four catches for 40 yards and was planning a big move in the offseason. Those plans got cut short in spring practice. "Mo caught a touchdown pass and a freak thing happened," Michi- gan head coach Jim Harbaugh said toward the end of the spring. "He fell on his foot and it looks like he's going to need surgery for the fifth metacarpal in his foot. Probably out three to four months." The surgery took place March 29, and by Harbaugh's timetable, "We all click with every quarterback. We're not focused on who is throwing the ball. We're focused on catching it and doing our job — helping out the quarterback, whoever that may be." SOPHOMORE WIDEOUT GRANT PERRY QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Jedd Fisch (second season). Returning Starters: Jehu Chesson (18 career starts), Amara Darboh (16) and Maurice Ways (2). Departing Starters: None. Projected New Starter: None. Top Reserve: Grant Perry. Wait Until 2017: Drake Harris. Newcomers: Ahmir Mitchell, Chris Evans, Nate Johnson, Eddie McDoom, Brad Hawkins Jr. and Dylan Crawford. Moved In: None. Moved Out: None. Rookie Impact: Mitchell. Most Improved Player: Perry. Best Pro Prospect: Chesson. FYI: Michigan's returning wideouts led a group a year ago that finished third in the Big Ten in receiving, averaging 254.5 yards per game in conference contests … Michigan's pass catchers also helped the Wolverines to third place in the conference for third-down conversions, at 43.5 percent … Chesson tied for seventh in the Big Ten in receptions per conference game in 2015, averaging 4.8 … He finished fifth in receiving yards per Big Ten tilt, averaging 72.6 … Chesson also wound up seventh in the league in scoring during league contests, averaging 7.5 points per outing … Chesson led kick returners in the Big Ten with an overall average of 46.0 yards per bring back, on four tries … Chesson's nine receiving touchdowns tied for second in the league and 28th nationally … He earned All-Big Ten first-team honors from the conference coaches and is the only wide receiver who earned such laurels returning this year … Chesson, Darboh and Perry combined for 122 catches, 1,619 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns a year ago … Chesson actually ranked third on the team last year in receptions (50), but led the way in receiving yards (764), total touchdowns (12) and all-purpose yards (1,085) … Athlon Sports ranked Michigan's pass catchers (wide receivers and tight ends) as the best in the Big Ten and seventh nationally. Sophomore Grant Perry enjoyed his best game of the season in last year's Citrus Bowl, hauling in five passes for 51 yards and his first career touchdown. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN