Michigan wide receivers coach Micah Simon has 17 days to pick a third starter, and he's in no rush to narrow the field.
With sophomores JJ Buchanan and Andrew Marsh locked in as the top two receivers for the Saturday, Sept. 5 season opener against Western Michigan, Simon told reporters Monday, Aug. 17, that five players are competing for the WR3 role: junior Channing Goodwin, freshmen Travis Johnson and Salesi Moa, sophomore transfer Jaime Ffrench and senior Kendrick Bell.
"I've got a good problem. I'll just say that," Simon said at fall camp.
The 29-year-old first-year position coach, who played at BYU and began his coaching career as an analyst at Syracuse in 2022, laid out what will decide the job: blocking ability in Michigan's run-heavy offense, winning man-to-man coverage, sitting in zones and overall football IQ.
Johnson turning heads
Through 10 practices, the loudest buzz belongs to Johnson. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound four-star recruit from Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va., topped 1,000 receiving yards and won back-to-back state titles in high school. Senior cornerback Jyaire Hill, asked which receivers were giving him fits in practice, didn't hesitate.
"New guy, (number) 13. And Moa. Moa's good, too," Hill told MLive.
Ffrench, a former five-star recruit who transferred from Texas after recording one catch for six yards in four games as a true freshman in 2025, told reporters Aug. 14 that Johnson is the fastest receiver on the team, according to Maize n Brew.
Entering camp, Ffrench was considered the frontrunner for WR3. That calculus appears to have shifted.
Simon's freshmen philosophy
Simon made clear he won't hold back Johnson or Moa based on class standing. He confirmed it would be "very realistic" to see both freshmen get meaningful snaps this fall, according to the Michigan Daily. Simon praised both players' development from spring to fall camp, calling their growth "second to none."
Moa, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound athlete ranked No. 45 in the 2026 247Sports Composite, originally signed with Utah before following head coach Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor. As a senior at Fremont High School in Ogden, Utah, he caught 63 passes for 1,272 yards and 16 touchdowns while also recording 57 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
Goodwin's return
Goodwin shouldn't be overlooked. The junior caught 12 passes for 148 yards last season but missed spring practice with an injury. Fall camp is his first chance to compete, and offensive lineman Andrew Sprague named him the offensive standout of the first week of practices.
Simon noted that Goodwin's veteran presence matters in a young room. Bell, the lone senior in the mix, played all 13 games in 2025 but had limited production.
The bigger picture
No. 16 Michigan (Coaches Poll) opens against Western Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 7:30 p.m. on NBC at Michigan Stadium. The Detroit News reported that Simon met with reporters Monday after running gassers with the players.
Marsh, who set a Michigan freshman record with 651 yards and four touchdowns on 45 catches in 2025, and Buchanan, who led Power 4 freshmen with 10 contested catches at Utah last season (427 yards, five touchdowns), give the Wolverines a proven top two at receiver heading into the opener.
