ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- First, it was expected to be true freshman Salesi Moa, the former five-star who initially enrolled at Utah before transferring to Michigan football. Then, fellow freshman Travis Johnson appeared to be the nouveau pick. But neither appears to be the bona fide No. 3 receiver for Michigan football entering the 2026 season.
In fall camp, junior Channing Goodwin -- who missed all of spring ball with an injury -- surged, earning praise from the coaching staff and teammates alike. And in the process, he appears to have earned himself the role as the No. 3 receiver for Kyle Whittingham and Jason Beck.
Appearing on the Inside Michigan Football radio program on Monday night, Whittingham confirmed that Goodwin has cemented his spot as the team's
third go-to in the pass game, beating out the aforementioned duo, as well as Texas transfer Jaime Ffrench.
"Channing Goodwin's a guy that really made progress and made strides in the fall," Whittingham said. "And right now is our No. 3 guy, and you're going to see Channing out there as well."
Goodwin likewise was a starter last year. Deemed 'Mr. Reliable,' while he thrived on the practice field, he struggled in actual games, and saw himself replaced by the team's now No. 1 receiver, Andrew Marsh. He appears to have fixed some of his issues, en route to seeing the field more often this season.
The third-year receiver out of North Carolina will be pairing with Marsh and Utah transfer JJ Buchanan, who Whittingham has a ton of confidence in.
"We feel wide receiver one, Andrew Marsh, and wide receiver two, JJ Buchanan, are really potent weapons. Bryce has developed a great rapport with both those guys, has a great deal of confidence in them, and those guys can really make some spectacular catches," Whittingham said. "They're big targets. JJ's 6-3, close to 220, and Andrew's over six feet and just about 200 pounds, so good size receivers, big play capability, and they both really do a great job with the contested ball up the field, you know, that 50-50 ball that you put up there and let them go make a play."
Fans will get an opportunity to see the revamped passing game in action on Saturday, when Michigan football hosts Western Michigan at The Big House.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Kyle Whittingham names Michigan football's No. 3 wide receiver
