Last week, we started our offseason series of ranking the best Michigan men’s basketball players since the first time the Wolverines won a national championship back in 1989 to celebrate a 37-year history of Michigan basketball between titles. Today, we look at the next tier up, and it’s a significant one from our scoring model from a batch of already quality list of players in the first rendition of this series.
Michigan
Michigan football wideouts embracing program’s pedigree. Now the question is ‘who’s next?’
Michigan football: 2025 schedule and key games
Michigan football’s schedule and key games for the 2025 season.
If Michigan football’s new assistant wide receivers coach Erik Campbell, who is more affectionately referred to around the program as ‘Soup,’ ever wants another job, Ron Bellamy knows exactly what it should be.
Bellamy, U-M’s primary wide receivers coach, spoke to media Monday afternoon and recalled that the first thing Campbell did upon his return to Ann Arbor − not only did he coach wideouts under Lloyd Carr for a dozen years from 1995-2007, but returned as recruiting coordinator in 2015 under Jim Harbaugh − was re-do the wideout room.
“I told Soup he’s an interior decorator,” Bellamy joked.
But for Soup, er, Campbell, there was a method to the madness. He wasn’t putting in mood lighting and chairs with comfier seatbacks; he wanted to dedicate the group’s meeting room as a shrine to all who’ve come before them. So Campbell put up pictures of all of U-M’s greatest wideouts in program history on the walls.
It not only serves as inspiration, but has become a way for the players of today to learn about those of yesterday.
“You can see the boys looking and marveling at it like, ‘man, wow,’” Bellamy said Monday. “We do trivia before we start every meeting. Last question was: who was the first 1,000 yard receiver that Eric Campbell coached here?”
Bellamy joked that everybody involved began looking around the room, trying to do the math of what player may have been there at that time. While most guessed Amani Toomer, the answer was actually Tai Streets.
It may seem like a small detail, but between Bellamy, a former wideout who had more than 1,000 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns during his career (1998-2002) and Campbell, who Bellamy called “the best wide receiver coach in program history” there’s been an emphasis placed on embracing the pedigree that comes with being a pass catcher in the maize and blue.
“You go down the list, it’s a rich tradition here of receivers at Michigan and you can see the boys take pride in that,” Bellamy said. “On the wall it’s a collage of guys throughout the history of Michigan football so (now) it’s like ‘who’s next?’ Who’s going to be the next one of you guys in that room who enters that wall?
“Then they say ‘Hm, you got to get to work to be on this wall.’”
That’s exactly what’s happened not just this offseason, but since 2024 ended. Last spring, the Wolverines were incredibly shorthanded at wideout, with just a half-dozen scholarship players fully available. This year, the room hasn’t just added bodies, but those with proven pedigree as well as others perceived with upside.
Donaven McCulley, who caught 48 passes for 644 yards and six touchdowns in 2023 at Indiana, entered the fold as the most experienced option. A 6-foot-5, 205-pound wideout out of Indianapolis, he simply looks different than anybody else who was in the room last year.
After starting his career as a quarterback (he’s thrown a touchdown against U-M) he has more than 1,000 career snaps out wide and was Bellamy’s first answer when asked who could be the next guy on the wall.
“He’s on track to do that,” Bellamy said of McCulley’s spring workouts. “Challenging himself every day … been a great addition.”
Beyond that, there are a pair of intriguing freshman coming in. Andrew Marsh, a four-star out of Katy, Texas, is the highest rated high school recruit at the position to pledge to Ann Arbor since Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2017. He’s 6 feet 1, 185 pounds while his fellow early enrollee, Jamar Browder, stands 6 feet 4 and is yet another big-bodied option.
Last season, U-M was undersized out wide, which didn’t allow them to challenge as much down field. This year, the staff made a concerted effort to add length, which should not only help Bellamy, but help the quarterbacks.
“With the bigger guys, it gives you the one-on-one matchups,” Bellamy said. “Most guys call them 50-50 balls, but if the ball is in the air, then it’s ours, that’s our mentality. When you’re starting to roll out 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 guys, most of them have basketball backgrounds … that’s something we didn’t have last year, we do now.
“Feel good about the additions we made to address that. … it takes stress off the play caller and the quarterbacks.”
Bellamy also warned not to forget about the sophomores and juniors, either. Fred Moore and Semaj Morgan both have two years experience in the system, while Channing Goodwin (a U-M legacy) and I’Marion Stewart each have been more involved this spring, too.
Neither enrolled early last year, and by the time they arrived for fall camp, they were swimming in the playbook. Now, things have slowed down, which presents two more options to potentially work into the fold out wide. That’s not to mention Peyton O’Leary, who had more than 100 yards in the spring game a few years back and has seemed on the precipice of a bigger role since 2023.
Add it all up and Bellamy feels much better about where his group is now than at this time a year ago.
“This is probably the deepest the room has been since I’ve been at Michigan,” Bellamy said. “Obviously we got work to do, guys still have to go prove themselves, but it’s not just young guys who are forced to play … I’m super excited about the competition that we have in our room because we’re a deeper unit.”
Bellamy paused, as if he was done. Then, he couldn’t help himself, and added one more thought.
“We still got to put the work in.”
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
Michigan
Ex-NFL All-Pro unimpressed by Michigan QB Bryce Underwood — who could become backup: ‘Don’t understand’
Former All-Pro NFL safety Eric Weddle is not a believer in Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood.
During an appearance on the “Zero 2 Sixty” podcast, Weddle, who attended the Wolverines’ spring practices, said that it would not be surprising if Michigan’s backup quarterback is playing instead of Underwood come this fall.
“Mark my words, I was out there for spring ball,” Weddle said. “Don’t be surprised if the backup [is] playing early because that Underwood kid, you know, I don’t think he could throw or play quarterback, so we’ll see.”
Weddle, who spent 14 seasons in the NFL with the Chargers, Ravens and Rams, explained that quarterbacks should be taught to play their position first, and be an athlete second, adding that this is what he tells his son, Gaige Weddle, who is a 2028 four-star QB recruit.
“I don’t understand. I don’t understand, like it’s just quarterbacks in general, but I don’t understand how the position is not being taught like from the pocket,” Weddle said. “Like I try to coach Gaige that you are a quarterback first who can be an athlete.
“You’re not an athlete who plays quarterback…You get to the next level, everyone’s as fast as you, everyone’s as strong as you, like your mind, processing, pocket awareness, feel, and getting the ball out on time is what I’ve stressed to him most, as a quarterback.”
Weddle’s comments come after Underwood, the consensus No. 1-ranked 2025 QB recruit out of high school, had a somewhat underwhelming freshman campaign with Michigan.
Through 13 games with the Wolverines, Underwood, 18, threw for 2,428 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions while posting a 60.3 completion percentage, helping lead Michigan to a 9-4 record.
He added 392 rushing yards with six scores on the ground.
Underwood also had a disappointing performance for Michigan in a 41-27 Citrus Bowl loss against Texas, passing for 199 yards — going 23-for-42 — with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Despite the poor showing, Underwood recently told reporters that he has high expectations for both himself and the Wolverines heading into the 2026 season.
“Just like the whole team, and everything that happened to us even after the season, I had to get over it,” Underwood said on May 21. “That was the only option we had. It’s the only option I had. We went through a lot, but I think we’re going to be more player-led this season.
“I feel like we are more of a team now.”
The Spartans have a plethora of players coming in for official visits this weekend.
Few are bigger than 4-star cornerback/wide receiver Gideon Gash.
Gash is a 6-foot-4, 205-pound speedster out of Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi, Michigan. He holds a 91 rating from 247Sports, which ranks him as the third-best recruit in Michigan for the 2027 class and the fifth-best athlete in the entire class. His 91 rating is also good enough to rank him as the No. 70 overall recruit in the nation.
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His composite score is nearly as good as it gets at 0.9701. That keeps him ranked as the fifth-best athlete in the recruiting class while moving him up to the second-highest-rated recruit in the state of Michigan. His composite score is also the 70th-best mark nationally.
If you’re reading this and thinking you thought the Spartans already had a Gash on the roster, you’d be correct. In fact, they have two.
Older brother Caleb Gash is a redshirt sophomore on the Spartan roster and plays safety for Joe Rossi and the defense. Then, earlier this year, another older brother, Samson Gash, signed his commitment to the Michigan State Spartans. Samson was ranked as the seventh-best recruit in the state of Michigan in the 2026 class and the No. 43 wide receiver in the country. So, in fact, there are already two Gash brothers on the Spartans’ roster, with Gideon still deciding where he wants to play following his final years of high school football.
The Gash brothers are certainly not new to the game. Their father, Sam Gash, enjoyed a successful football career of his own. He played at Penn State from 1987-1991 before being selected in the eighth round of the 1992 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. He also spent time with the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints during his NFL career. Gash was a Super Bowl XXXV champion and a two-time Pro Bowl selection. Following his playing days, he went on to coach in the NFL with the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, and Green Bay Packers.
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Gideon Gash has been one of Pat Fitzgerald’s most important recruiting targets since arriving at Michigan State. Alongside Joe Rossi and James Adams, Fitzgerald has played a key role in the Spartans’ pursuit of the talented athlete. Based on the recruiting efforts so far, it appears Michigan State would prefer to see Gash on the defensive side of the ball, where he could line up alongside his older brother Caleb.
Gash was named the 2026 MVP of the Polynesian Bowl National Showcase & Combine after clocking a blazing 4.35-second 40-yard dash.
As a junior in 2025, Gash was a two-way standout for Detroit Catholic Central, helping lead the Shamrocks to a 14-1 record and a Michigan Division 1 state championship. He played both wide receiver and cornerback throughout the season.
On offense, Gash caught 19 passes for 540 yards, averaging 28.4 yards per catch, while scoring eight touchdowns. Defensively, he totaled 74 tackles, three tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He also added a kickoff return touchdown.
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In the state championship game against Cass Tech, Gash delivered one of his best performances of the season. He recorded six tackles and one pass breakup on defense while hauling in three receptions for 126 yards and three touchdowns on offense.
According to 247Sports, Gash currently appears warm on four programs: Michigan State, Texas Tech, Alabama, and Oklahoma. He also holds offers from Auburn, Boston College, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, LSU, Louisville, Michigan, Missouri, Northwestern, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
There is certainly no shortage of interest in one of the nation’s top athletes, meaning the Spartans will have to work hard to fend off some of the premier programs in college football.
Having two brothers already on the roster is a great starting point for Michigan State. However, it will take a strong official visit this weekend to continue building momentum and potentially put the Spartans in an even better position moving forward.
No. 22 – F Morez Johnson Jr. – Score: 78.4
The first player from Michigan’s 2025-26 team has made it on the list, and it’s the bodyguard himself, Morez Johnson Jr. His stint in Ann Arbor was short, but impactful. After transferring in from Illinois, he found his way into a starting lineup with two other players 6-foot-9 or taller in Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara. The trio wreaked havoc all season long thanks to their length and athleticism in a scheme tailor-made by head coach Dusty May.
Johnson was one of the most efficient players in the country, averaging 13.1 points per game on a 62.3 percent clip. He also led the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and was commonly considered one of the best defensive players on the floor with his ability to guard all five positions. He was a Second-Team All-Big Ten and was on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team as well.
No. 21 – F Deshawn Sims – Score: 78.9
In the transition from Tommy Amaker to John Beilein, Deshawn Sims was a part of a special group that propelled the program to relevancy again. Sims was the 19th player in program history to reach 1,500 career points, and the 15th to surpass 700 rebounds. Consistency was key, as he played in 129 consecutive games over four seasons, starting 92 of them.
Everything came together for the Wolverines in the 2008-09 season when Sims and co-star Manny Harris led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade. The team underperformed in 2009-10, but Sims’ play stayed consistent.
Along with the elite company Sims established with his longevity, he was also a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game over his final two seasons.
No. 20 – F Ray Jackson – Score: 81.6
Not only did we have the introduction to the 2026 championship team, but this stretch also introduces us to the Fab Five with forward Ray Jackson, the final member of the historic 1991 class.
Jackson not only has the pedigree tied to the culture that surrounded the Fab Five and their two runner-up finishes in the NCAA Tournament, but he was also a great player. One could argue he was the most unheralded of the bunch and deserves more credit than he does. Somehow, he was only a two-time All-Big Ten performer, but he averaged 17.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his final three seasons with the program.
He ascended from the last of the Fab Five to a premier Big Ten player during his four-year career, helping guide Maurice Taylor — an honorable mention in this series — to being a member of the All-Big Ten freshman team when Jackson was a senior.
Jackson’s impact was profound, not just for his role in the Fab Five but for the transition out of it with future players who had impossible shoes to fill. The Wolverines not only stayed afloat, but remained tournament teams in the years following, which would have meant more had that era not been tarnished with “scandal” for a fraction of what is being done today in the NIL world.
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