Freshman Salesi Moa already considered one of Michigan Football’s top WRs
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Michigan began spring practices on Tuesday, and head coach Kyle Whittingham came to the podium for the first time to speak about his early impressions of the team.
One area of intrigue this spring is the passing game, and it would appear there’s already an encouraging development. Whittingham named who he views as the top four wide receivers, and he included true freshman Salesi Moa alongside Andrew Marsh, and transfers J.J. Buchanan and Jaime Ffrench.
“Marsh, he’s a tremendous talent, that’s very evident,” Whittingham said. And Jamie Ffrench, we brought him from Texas, has done a really nice job. Salesi Moa, a true freshman, is really good, looks sharp in the workouts. JJ Buchanan transferred from Utah. Those are probably the top four.”
Moa, a four-star two-way prospect, was a late addition this winter after enrolling at Utah and subsequently entering the transfer portal. While playing the Utah prep circuit, Moa showed an ability to make plays both down the field with his speed and near the line of scrimmage thanks to his polished route running and ability to gobble up yards after the catch.
Even if he’s not ready to be an every-down contributor, it makes sense for Moa to already be considered as one of the top options in the passing game just because of his pure talent. It remains to be seen what his early pedigree in the passing game means for his potential of making an impact on defense, but the chance for him to see the field early at all is encouraging nonetheless.
Whittingham stated the four players he listed are “going to be very good Big Ten receivers” and that finding the next four players will be a priority, citing a desire to travel up to eight receivers for road games. Of the possible candidates, Channing Goodwin and Kendrick Bell seem like good bets to get opportunities given their contributions to the program so far, while another talented freshman in Travis Johnson will look to make an impact of his own.
As it stands, the Wolverines are coming into the spring with a good mix of talent at both wide receiver and tight end, making it possible for the revamped passing attack to hurt opposing defenses in a variety of ways. Furthermore, having a diverse and athletic group of pass-catchers should only make the job of second-year quarterback Bryce Underwood that much easier.
We won’t get to see things take shape until the team takes the field for the spring game on April 19, but it’s encouraging nonetheless the newcomers are already making an impression and separating themselves from the group in the hopes that this can be a year for the aerial attack to truly take flight.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos