A few weeks before Michigan’s season opener, Roman Wilson took a reception on a simple slant route 70 yards for a touchdown in practice, according to teammate Giles Jackson.
The freshman receiver’s speed was his hallmark attribute coming out of Saint Louis School in Honolulu, but translating it to the field at the college level quickly made an impression on his teammates.
Wilson, speaking to reporters via a video teleconference Monday, said he was always considered the “fast kid at school” growing up. He ran an impressive 4.37-second 40-yard dash in high school and was a nuisance for opposing defenses, catching 61 passes for 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns during a state-championship season in 2019.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder has been one the most productive receivers for Michigan this season, too. He is third on the team with 118 receiving yards on eight catches, including his first touchdown reception in Saturday’s loss to Indiana.
“Roman is great,” said Jackson, a sophomore receiver. “He’s been good ever since he got here. He’s extremely fast. He has a really bright future. He’s going to be good.”
While speed alone could be enough to overmatch defensive backs at the high school level, Wilson understands the college game is more nuanced.
The former four-star prospect said he has made two pronounced mistakes so far this season: running a wrong route against the Hoosiers and then taking an inside release instead of an outside release against Minnesota.
While growing pains between a young receiver and a first-year starting quarterback (Joe Milton) are expected, Wilson accepted responsibility for the mistakes.
“I feel like we definitely have a good connection,” Wilson said of Milton. “It’s really just been my fault. Joe’s been putting the ball where he’s supposed to be. I just gotta do better.”
Nonetheless, Wilson has earned the trust of Michigan’s coaching staff. He has regularly factored into the receiving rotation this season as the team looks to replace the 96 catches and 1,490 receiving yards lost from last season with the departures of Nico Collins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black.
“Roman Wilson is doing some really good things,” coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday.
Last year, receivers Giles Jackson, Mike Sainristil and Cornelius Johnson all saw the field as true freshmen – a point that didn’t go unnoticed by Wilson during the recruiting process. Both Wilson and fellow freshman wideout A.J. Henning have appeared in all three games in 2020.
“Just being recruited here, Coach (Josh) Gattis, one of the things he told me and A.J. Henning is that we were gonna be given a chance to play on this team,” Wilson said. “I wasn’t really sure how big my role was gonna be, but I’m just happy to go in and get my chance and make plays.”
The one area all of Michigan’s receivers have struggled with last season has been getting open down field. While Milton’s strong arm has been well-documented by now, most of his completions this season have been 10 yards or fewer down field.
“Just keep working,” Jackson said of becoming better deep-ball receivers. “In practice it works. In the games, I don’t think we’re as focused as we should be. Joe has a super strong arm, and in practice, we’re doing everything right. In games, we’re not. Just the little things that we do in practice, we don’t do in the game, and it shows on the film.”
The 6-foot-4 Collins was one of the top vertical threats in the Big Ten last season, finishing with 729 receiving yards while averaging nearly 20 yards per catch. But with Collins opting out this season, Michigan is still searching for someone to develop into that reliable deep threat.
Junior Ronnie Bell, last year’s leading receiver, is off to a strong start in 2020 with 14 receptions for 269 yards, but most of those yards have come after the catch. Johnson is the tallest of the group at 6-foot-3 and had a nice 39-yard touchdown catch on a post route against Indiana.
But with Wilson’s speed, his teammates believe it won’t be long before he takes the next step.
“He’s quick,” safety Brad Hawkins said. “He has long speed, he has short speed. He’s the type of receiver that you’ve got to get hands on or it might be over. He’s definitely a special receiver, and I’m very excited for him and his future.”
Zuke writes for mlive.com
