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.
ROTHBURY, Mich. — Michigan State Police (MSP) detectives shared some more information Friday about their investigation of the infant death at this year’s Electric Forest music festival in Rothbury.
Troopers recently received a tip about a Muskegon woman who was said to have information about the incident, but after interviewing her and completing other necessary investigative steps, MSP said they ruled her out as a suspect.
A restroom vending company employee at the festival found the body of a neonate, a newborn infant who is four weeks old or younger, in a portable restroom in the festival camping area on June 28, according to troopers.
The festival is hosted at the Double JJ Resort, which was locked down to anyone entering the following day as police surrounded the scene.
Troopers are asking for tips from the public at michigan.gov/michtip.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Harmful algal blooms have been reported on two notable lakes in West Michigan: Gun Lake and Muskegon Lake.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says cyanobacteria was reported on Muskegon Lake July 3, but no tests have confirmed it.
The Barry-Eaton District Health Department says a harmful algal bloom was confirmed Thursday on Gun Lake. The lake remains open, but the BEDHD is encouraging visitors to use caution and avoid water that has “visible algae.”
Visitors are encouraged to avoid any contact with water that appears bright green, blue-green, brown or red or has “floating mats of scum.”
Pets should also avoid the water. If they come into contact with the algae, pets should be rinsed off as soon as possible with clean, fresh water.
Exposure to algae can cause a rash or irritation to the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, fever and trouble breathing.
“If you become sick, contact your healthcare provider. Seek medical care right away if you have trouble breathing, severe vomiting, or other serious symptoms,” the BEDHD said in a statement. “If your pet was exposed, rinse them well with clean water and do not let them lick their fur until they have been washed. Contact your veterinarian right away if your pet has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, trouble walking, excessive drooling, shaking, or seizures.”
Harmful algal blooms are powered by the sudden growth of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, rivers and ponds but is often boosted by a sudden excess of nutrients, often caused by fertilizer runoff from farms or failed septic systems.
They can last for several days and sometimes even months. The water will look “scummy” or like “spilled paint or pea soup.” They are typically found in the summer and fall — usually peaking in August or September and dying off by the end of October.
You can report a suspected harmful algal bloom to EGLE at AlgaeBloom@Michigan.gov or 1.800.662.9278.
Sterling Stamping Plant is the largest in the world
Ed Daniels, vice president of North America injection and stamping operations, discusses the process of producing metal parts for Stellantis models.
Warren — Hulking metal presses line one wall of Stellantis NV’s cavernous stamping plant here, punching out the raw shapes of Jeep doors, Dodge hoods and Ram tailgates in rapid succession.
Nearby, swinging yellow robots continue the tightly choreographed work, gluing and pressing and welding smaller components to the sheet metal that eventually will start to resemble the shape of a truck or SUV.
Seven miles north, in Sterling Heights, Stellantis operates an even larger stamping plant — the biggest in the world, at 2.7 million square feet — that does much of the same work, churning out various shapes of steel and aluminum 24 hours a day.
Together, these lesser-known links in the manufacturing supply chain support all of Stellantis’ big North American assembly plants — from next-door Warren Truck Assembly Plant, where the Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV is built, to facilities in Windsor and Mexico that make minivans and pickups.
Inside Stellantis’ Huge Detroit Stamping Plants
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the automaker’s Sterling and Warren stamping plants, which are key to the company’s turnaround plan.
The Metro Detroit stamping plants, the automaker’s only two such facilities in the United States, have at times struggled in recent years, facing major job cuts and worker morale issues amid slowing sales and shifting production plans. But under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the facilities are expected to cram in more workload — and add staff — as Stellantis begins a new five-year strategic turnaround plan, which includes a heavy focus on its most profitable North American market.
The carmaker’s goal: grow sales by more than a third to 1.9 million annually by 2030 as it launches 23 vehicles, including 11 all-new models. The company also is directing billions of dollars of investment into its U.S. manufacturing footprint due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“Stamping has never really been viewed as the sexy side of automotive manufacturing, we’re relatively invisible,” said Ed Daniels Jr., vice president of North America injection and stamping operations. “Because when you look at the commercials and advertisements, it’s always a beautiful Ram rolling off the assembly line or climbing the side of a mountain.
“But we’re the inception of that vehicle,” he said. “This is where raw materials are turned into commodities and parts.”
The Detroit News recently got a rare look inside the two plants that combined employ about 3,000 people. The automaker wanted to show off a newly-installed blanking press at Warren Stamping and other machinery like a high-speed transfer press and a robot that spots flaws in the metal.
Hiring expected
The blanking press unspools long coils of metal and chops them up into pieces that can then be shaped into roofs, fenders and floor pans. Stellantis shipped the massive machine to Warren from its idled Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois last year.
After upgrades to the machine, executives said it’s able to produce as many as 120,000 metal blanks per week. It will save Stellantis money since the plant will no longer need to pay a supplier to break down the coils before the metal arrives there.
The blanker addition is a big deal for the plant and signals that the company wants to bring more work in-house and invest in the facility over the coming years, said Romaine McKinney III, president of United Auto Workers Local 869, which represents workers at the factory.
The plant has already brought back all of its laid-off UAW workers, and McKinney said he anticipates more hiring to get underway if sales grow and new Stellantis vehicles come to market.
In another corner of the Warren facility, one of the fastest press lines in the world — known internally as the Hellcat — pushes as many as 15 pieces of metal through per minute. Dies that weigh up to 50 tons apiece squish the material into the shapes of doors and hoods before robotic arms snatch them out and place them on conveyor belts. Midway through a shift, workers can reconfigure the machine to make a different component, a process that takes just five minutes.
Robots check for quality
Curtis Booth, who manages Warren Stamping, said manual processes inside the plant have become increasingly automated, and safer, over the last couple decades, even as the automaker’s two stamping factories still utilize some presses that were installed in the 1960s.
The latest high-tech addition is the Automated Body Inspection System, or ABIS. It’s a camera system mounted on a robot that automatically checks the quality of components and flags anything in need of repair.
Auto plants of all kinds are increasingly turning to these types of camera systems, infused with artificial intelligence, to catch flaws in sheet metal and other components before they are shipped. Booth said worker visual inspections are still used. But in some cases the human eye has too much subjectivity, and the ABIS removes the guesswork.
Greg Bauer, who manages Sterling Stamping, said his plant has added staff over the past year, and expects to continue hiring as more work is assigned to the facility. There is no space at the plant to add more presses, but officials have figured out how to increase efficiency — quickly toggling back and forth between making doors for a Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger on on a single machine, for example.
“We want to bring high-volume parts into the plant, and we want to maximize the capacity of the equipment,” Daniels said.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
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