Michigan wide receiver J.J. Buchanan met with the media on Monday afternoon for the first time since transferring from Utah in January. When the sophomore was announced as a wide receiver, it caught some Michigan fans off guard, as he was listed as a tight end at Utah. However, Buchanan has been playing wide receiver longer than most realize.
“Yeah, so, I originally committed to Utah as a safety, which is kind of crazy,” Buchanan said “But coach Freddie (Whittingham) really liked me and I moved to a tight
end by Week 2 of the season. I think it was after the Wyoming game, they switched me to the receiver room.
“I was with coach (Micah) Simon for the rest of the season, never publicly announced, never publicly switched. But yeah, I’ve been a receiver since about Week 2 of last season, and yeah, a lot more receiver work this year.”
Buchanan hauled in 26 passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns last season as a true freshman in Salt Lake City. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he brings a nice balance to superstar Andrew Marsh’s size and skillset.
“Yeah, Andrew Marsh, man, he’s a heck of a player,” Buchanan said. “He’s gonna be a dude for sure. A couple of years and he’ll be in the league, 100 percent. I love playing beside him. I feel like we complement each other really well.”
And Marsh isn’t the only Wolverine who excites Buchanan to play with.
“Bryce (Underwood), obviously, I’ve heard a lot about him,” he said. We’re the same recruiting cycle, best quarterback, best recruit in the country — everything you need in a quarterback, charisma, build the arm. … He has everything you need. And I think that with this new system, with this new belief that we’ve instilled in him, I think that he will take a huge leap this year.”
A big reason for Buchanan’s confidence in Underwood’s development is new offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s system. Despite being a newcomer to the Wolverines, Buchanan is the only offensive player with experience in Beck’s offense, and suffice it to say, he is a fan of his scheme.
“Man, first of all, just the system he uses, the signaling, I think it’s, it’s very player-friendly,” Buchanan said. “I did hand signals in high school, so it’s something that I was accustomed to, and actually they make it super simple. You don’t think a lot of options, a lot of different things you can do within a certain play. I really like how I could be outside, I could be inside, I could be in-line from time to time. I just think the diversity that his offense is able to use is just very appealing to me.”
