Why insiders expect JJ Buchanan to star at Michigan

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While the success of any given Michigan football player has fans excited any given year, perhaps something that gets fans hopes up even more are those who are poised to become, rather than those who are.

And this iteration of the Michigan Wolverines has a lot of players with untapped potential. That includes a mixture of players who have been around, who are being developed, incoming recruits who could see the field as true freshmen, and transfer portal players who have come to fill in some of the gaps.

CBS Sports' Brad Crawford spoke to some 15 Big Ten insiders, and the next big thing in Ann Arbor could have been players like running back Savion Hiter, wide receiver Salesi Moa, or even All-American edge rusher John Henry Daley. But as far as the player that those insiders are keeping an eye on, Crawford learned that Utah transfer JJ Buchanan is one who could really take a massive step forward for the Wolverines this year.

JJ Buchanan, WR, Michigan

What they said: "He's a stud. Very confident. Very poised. And his demeanor as a young guy is really good too."

Michigan didn't just need another body at wide receiver through the transfer portal — it needed a stabilizer, and JJ Buchanan fits that bill in a way that should matter in the Big Ten race. He logged 543 snaps as a true freshman at Utah last season under new Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham and showed impressive production with 26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns. Nearly half of those reps came in the slot, while much of the rest of his playing time was on the outside. At Michigan, Buchanan fills a pivotal vacancy at a position that replaces Donaven McCulley, Semaj Morgan and others.

Early returns suggest Buchanan brings the kind of reliability Michigan's passing game has lacked on the perimeter, especially on third down and in condensed red-zone spacing. He's 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, the kind of frame ideal for go-get-it opportunities. He's not being asked to be a volume target, but rather a chain-mover who can win leveraged matchups and punish single coverage when defenses load the box against the run. His familiarity with his former OC, Jason Beck, should ease his transition to the Big Ten. 

It will be interesting to see how much Buchanan, expected to start opposite Andrew Marsh, emerges for the maize and blue. He might be working with a new quarterback in Bryce Underwood after last year, when he was catching passes from Devon Dampier. But he has the same head coach in Kyle Whittingham and offensive coordinator in Jason Beck. And that's not even mentioning he had a solid year at Utah last season, when he was just a true freshman. So if he has that usual freshman-to-sophomore bump, the Wolverines should be in really good shape with the tall pass catcher.

While Buchanan appears to be the incoming wideout who has emerged the most, the aforementioned Salesi Moa and Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench should also figure to help revamp the room as it works to increase its talent in a big way after being among the least productive groups that Michigan football has had in the past decade.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Insiders tell CBS that JJ Buchanan could be star for Michigan football

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