ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Earlier this offseason, it had appeared as if freshman Salesi Moa and Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench each had the inside edge to be Michigan football's No. 3 wide receiver. Then, early in fall camp, it had appeared as if freshman Travis Johnson was surging. However, on Monday night, head coach Kyle Whittingham surprised many by naming junior receiver Channing Goodwin as the third guy behind Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan.
Goodwin opened up the season last year as a starter opposite Semaj Morgan. But drops in his first four games relegated him to the bench in favor of then-freshman Andrew Marsh. However, with a new coaching staff having fresh eyes, mixed with Goodwin finding his groove in fall camp, he emerged as the next option
behind the starting duo playing out wide.
"Channing, we didn't have him in the spring because he was out coming back from his surgery," Beck said. "So it was really great getting him back in this fall camp. And he's just really steady, knows what to do, very football intelligent, really dependable and consistent."
While Goodwin will be heavily featured, he won't be the only other receiver to see the field. The aforementioned trio -- Moa, Ffrench, Johnson -- will also play, along with Kendrick Bell and perhaps Jamar Browder or Jacob Washington.
Beck said that the 'starters' are the trio of Marsh, Buchanan, and Goodwin, but that doesn't mean they'll always be the first players on the field for the first offensive down of any given game.
"If we were to rank the receivers, Channing would be the third guy," Beck said. "But the way we do it is certain guys start in certain personnel groups. And so a lot of those guys will play. We'll have five other receivers playing besides Andrew and JJ. And it's just going to depend on the personnel group and who's in there. So whatever personnel group starts the game, that person will be in there at the spot. But we have a lot of different personnel groups, and you'll see all five of those guys play and contribute for us."
Fans will get an opportunity to see them all in action for the first time on Saturday, when Michigan football hosts Western Michigan at The Big House for the season opener.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Jason Beck explains Channing Goodwin's rise to Michigan's WR3 role
