Michigan’s passing game is finally starting to stretch its legs, but the next question inside the Wolverines’ receiver room is getting awkward fast: who actually owns the WR3 job?
For a while, it looked like freshman Travis Johnson had the inside track. He logged his first catch of the season against UTEP for 10 yards and even added a carry for two yards, which made him seem like a natural candidate to climb the depth chart. But that picture shifted in Kyle Whittingham’s weekly press conference on Monday, when he laid out a different race entirely.
According to Whittingham, the battle for that third receiver spot is down to freshman Salesi Moa, Channing Goodwin and Kendrick Bell.
#Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham says freshman WR Salesi Moa, WR Channing Goodwin and WR Kendrick Bell are battling for that WR3 spot.
- Brice Marich (@BriceMarich) September 21, 2026
That leaves Johnson on the outside of the current conversation, and it also puts Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench in the same boat. Ffrench, who had also been viewed as a possible leader for the role, still has not recorded a catch for Michigan this season.
Moa, meanwhile, has already found the end zone. His touchdown came in garbage time against UTEP with the backups on the field, but the catch itself stood out.
The bigger picture is pretty clear: JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh are carrying the receiving load right now. Marsh finally showed up as the threat he was a season ago, and Buchanan has been the main show in the passing game. That makes the WR3 competition less about who is already producing and more about who can force their way into the mix.
Johnson and Ffrench are not completely out of it, but at this point the freshmen have the edge. And with conference play coming next, Michigan may need more than one answer there anyway. The WR3 spot could end up being less of a fixed role and more of a rotating cast.
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