JJ Buchanan is making his presence felt in Michigan football fall camp, and the early buzz around the sophomore wideout sounds real.
Buchanan arrives in Ann Arbor with a productive first season already on his résumé. Last year at Utah, after making the move from tight end to receiver around Week 3, he finished with 26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns. That production has carried over into camp, where he’s reportedly taking another jump and pushing to become a major target for the Wolverines.
Position coach Micah Simon pointed to Buchanan’s comfort level in the offense and the growth he’s shown as a leader.
"One, just brings a familiarity with the offense, obviously," Simon said. "Being in it last year.
And then he just brings a strong presence. He's really worked on his leadership, which is one of the things I challenged him with is obviously, he's a true sophomore.
He's 19 years old. But he played a bunch of snaps last year, and he has that experience.
And he's made a lot of plays thus far in spring and camp right now where guys look up to him. So just bringing that leadership and showing how things should be done.
"And in the receiver room, we talk about less drama, more work. And that's exactly who that kid is.
I mean, you never have to worry about anything with him. He's just all ball.
He takes care of his classes. He's great off the field.
And that's -- obviously, he's a good player. But that's what else he brings to the room, which is awesome."
Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham has already gone so far as to call Buchanan borderline unguardable in camp, and Simon’s comments suggest that’s not just idle praise. Buchanan has been showing up in the contested-catch game, and Simon said he’d be the first name that comes to mind when talking about 50-50 balls.
"JJ is the first one that comes to mind," Simon said of 50-50 ball pass catchers. "He has that same basketball background in high school.
And that was his knack last year at the other place. So he stands out in that area.
But Travis stands out in that area as well. You know, these basketball guys."
True freshman Travis Johnson also fits that mold, but Buchanan is the one drawing the strongest attention right now. After Andrew Marsh led Michigan’s receivers a year ago while Buchanan ranked third, the early read out of camp is that Buchanan is poised to take a bigger bite out of the offense.
Fans will get their first chance to see him in a Michigan uniform on September 5, when the Wolverines host Western Michigan at The Big House.
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