Portal Offer: YSU WR CJ Charleston
Portal offer to Youngstown St WR. Dudes stats aren’t impressive, would be a grad transfer and provide much needed depth. Is 6 foot, had 33 catches last year for 503 yards and 4 TDS.
April 30th, 2024 at 10:32 PM ^
This is a “we need bodies” offer.
I heard he can block
April 30th, 2024 at 10:49 PM ^
Main question is can he block?
April 30th, 2024 at 10:50 PM ^
“We just don’t even have numbers — You look at the roster depth, you need enough guys. Hamstring injuries are going to happen, quad injuries,” Campbell said. “We just got to make sure we have enough guy to field the roster.
This honestly seems very underwhelming no matter the situation- 6'0 no less and we need bigger dudes at WR. Also, I'd feel much better if Campbell had reasons other than just flat out sounding desperate. Pathetic. This guy is so intriguing that he's unranked as a prospect and transfer (https://247sports.com/player/cj-charleston-46149251/). I have a hard time time believing that this is our best option. Seriously couldn't extend better offers even if we're handicapped with our offensive scheme? We're Michigan and just won the national championship. That alone should attract better talent. Just weird. C'mon!
April 30th, 2024 at 11:09 PM ^
I agree that Campbell sounds a bit desperate, given that he's openly admitting that Michigan is just looking for depth. Maybe Charleston commits and proves to be a nice surprise, but it's hard to see him being anything beyond a rotational player.
The reasons for the situation are fairly clear though. Michigan has never featured WRs under Harbaugh (and he doesn't seem to be emphasizing them with the Chargers either -- he was all too happy to let Keenan Allen walk). They've never been a focal point of the offense. Nico Collins, an NFL #1, had 38 and 37 catches in 2018 and 2019. Those stats will never attract top WR talent, National Championship or not. Maybe Sherrone Moore will mix things up, but until proven otherwise, Michigan is a run-first team that will attract talented RBs and TEs but not receivers.
We were also a run first, early and often with a 5 star quarterback who could throw dimes. Now we might have Tim Tebow behind center. We might not be the most attractive landing spot for receivers.
Tebow completed 64% of his passes in HS, Orji completed 52%.
And yet two WR just got drafted and there are multiple receivers who played for Harbaugh at Michigan who were also drafted before them.
Playing WR at Michigan has the same odds of getting you to the NFL as many other schools.
Sure your odds aren’t different, but that doesn’t change the fact you’d be transferring into a run first offense featuring unproven QB’s (at best).
It would be one thing if Michigan was consistently putting out first and second round picks at the position in spite of this, but when Michigan hasn’t had a WR drafted higher than the 84th spot since Braylon Edwards…you get the idea.
If your odds aren’t increased by going to Michigan, you’re still doing nothing to argue why Michigan should be a destination for guys.
You also have to factor in the fact that guys in the portal are guys who NEED to make a name for themselves and get ON draft radars, and you’re more likely to do that at a school that gets the ball to their receivers. Coming to Michigan, even as our top
Comparing that demographic of player to multi-year starters at Michigan is irrelevant. But Cornelius Johnson was the #177 recruit, is 6’3”, ran a 4.44, and was a 3 year starter for Michigan. He parlayed that into a late 7th round draft selection. I don’t know why we’re talking about that as though Michigan is getting guys drafted in a way that should attract transfers or high ranked recruits. Sure, it’s not impossible to get drafted playing WR at Michigan. But let’s not sit here and pretend like we’re doing these guys any favors.
In short, if you’re a receiver who is either a fringe draft pick or not even on radars, are you bettering your odds of getting picked by going to Michigan and getting 300-500 yards, or going to another P4 school and getting 750+?
Allen is 32 with a big contract, so that was a poor analogy.
Not saying it wasn't a good idea for the Chargers to let him go elsewhere... Harbaugh knows what he's doing. The point is that he's a good player who will expand the passing offense of a team (the Bears) looking to do just that (if he stays healthy). The Chargers are not looking to do that, because Harbaugh is there to do his run-heavy thing.
I think the bigger reason is that transfer WRs are expensive this year, and that’s not where the limited NIL budget is focused.
That's the other thing. We don't throw to WRs much and any good one would get paid less at Michigan than elsewhere. Can't say I'd be that keen on Michigan if I was a WR.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:10 PM ^
According to 247's portal rankings, the 5th best available WR is Karmello English and the 10th is Cristian Dixon. The guys ahead of them are marginally better, if at all. Add in the admissions hurdles, and you're really scraping the barrel. Unless there are some late entries tonight and tomorrow, these are the type of offers you can expect.
This was an obvious position of need (even with English and Dixon). Our limitations with our admissions, scheme and uncertain QB situation are no secret, but don't tell me we can't sell decent wr transfers to come play for Michigan. With the portal, you always need a contingency plan. We lost players to the portal and had a plenty of time to recruit. We simply failed to plan. And now Campbell is stating that he's just trying to have enough guys to field the roster? Gimme a break. This is a pathetic response to the reason for extending an offer.
Disagree, because I honestly don’t see why a decent WR with NFL ambitions would choose to play in Michigan’s offense. Any incoming WR lately is probably someone who chose Michigan more than they chose Michigan football. I love us (we won a natty), but the passing scheme is a constant disappointment that probably undermines our running game more than it helps.
Tyler Williams (6'3 former 4 star Georgia wr) just committed to Minnesota. You think that's a better spot to fulfill NFL aspirations than Michigan? We just sent two WRs to the NFL. I understand we can't get the top line wr talent for obvious reasons, but ffs, far too many decent wr transfers were available and have committed to much inferior programs/situations for Campbell to be contemplating on "how to get guys to field the roster." It's simply unacceptable, especially with our recent run of success.
"It's simply unacceptable."
You gotta love this level of entitlement from anonymous internet posters.
- Michigan just won the NC under the constraints you describe.
- Michigan has a long line of successful WRs in the league.
- The NFL has repeatedly snuffed out great receivers who came to Michigan and caught fewer passes but obviously had the talent. That's, in fact, their job, why they're working in the game and you're ludicrously, to appease YOUR ego, demanding better!
- Is what it is, bra, and you ain't changing it. Back to the kitchen for another one of mom's cookies, and try to calm down. Hopefully, you got work today.
"Michigan has a long line of successful WRs in the league. "
Huh?
2023: Nico Collins #23 in receptions, #8 in yards
2022: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2021: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2020: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2019: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2018: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2017: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2016: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2015: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
2014: No Michigan receiver in top 25 of either category
...etc.
Maybe another part of the equation is the talent that Michigan does have on the roster. It's a thin position group, but certainly not bereft. Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, and Fred Moore all look like promising players who could expand their roles this year. To my layman's eye, they look like guys who could be dangerous #2 options. They are fast, shifty, and skilled, but all a bit undersized. What Michigan would love to have is a clear #1 gamebreaker and then added depth. Maybe most WRs on the transfer market are on par with what Michigan has and figure they'd be coming in just to compete for a starting job that will get them maybe five targets a game. Kind of an underwhelming pitch. Guys who are a cut above, talented enough to immediately step into the number #1 role at Michigan, are also good enough to command more guaranteed targets and more NIL in a different system.
Michigan is left to bring in up-transfers who see competing in the rotation with Morgan, Morris, and Moore (that has to be a record for alliteration and internal rhyme within a WR corps) as a step up in opportunity. I would bet this Williams guy has been promised far more in terms of target-share at Minnesota than what Michigan can offer.
We won the fucking natty undefeated season and you're disappointed??? Like if we passed more we achieve what exactly?? Win the natty by more than 3 tds???
Like maybe you don't understand football as well as Harbaugh (a former nfl QB) and you overvalue passing?? Is that possible or sre you certain you understand run-pass balance better than Harbaugh??
Seems weird that they didn't go after the PSU guy or anyone else.
What's weird about it? Lambert-Smith needed a fat bag. He got one, it just wasn't from Michigan.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:07 PM ^
What’s the step past desperate times, desperate measures?
April 30th, 2024 at 11:41 PM ^
I think the step you are referring to is the spazz, pout and panic step - i.e., the step that many on this board were stuck on in the five years leading up to a freaking National Championship.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:15 PM ^
I cheer for anyone that plays for Michigan
April 30th, 2024 at 11:26 PM ^
Surely we can use Vlad Goldin or Roddy Gayle.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:57 PM ^
Prefigured under the sign of "Tacopants," Vlad Goldin emerges to fulfill his destiny: claiming the no. 1 jersey.
They could be great run blockers from the flank!
April 30th, 2024 at 11:26 PM ^
Welp. Fingers crossed Amorion Walker comes back.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:34 PM ^
Does Kekoa Crawford still have eligibility?
April 30th, 2024 at 11:55 PM ^
Way to roll out the message board red carpet. Maybe our coaches are seeing some untapped talent?
April 30th, 2024 at 11:57 PM ^
Going to be hard to entice top WRs to come here without NIL. I imagine that those in the portal want to get touches. Michigan's offense leaves a lot to be desired from that standpoint.
We dont need top wide receivers we're a run first offense, we won the natty last year that way. Our new HC is our former OL coach.
Are we still gonna keep bitching about not giving enough targets to recruit elite receivers??
Sorry didn't mean to latch on to your comment but im still mad about getting negbanged every single time i wrote i dont care about passing more and then we won the national fucking championship playing like that and people still dont understand that running it so much is a feature not a bug.
April 30th, 2024 at 11:58 PM ^
Seeing 4 TE's on the field at the same time might be fun.
Unless you are a 5'10" 180lb DB.
I haven't really kept up with the changes to transfer rules, but I thought grad transfers could transfer anytime they want. So there still might be some opportunities to get players.
They cannot. The deadline is this week (tonight?) to be eligible for the fall.
Just run it 80 times a game. #smash
Any relation to DeeJay Dallas?
https://www.nfl.com/players/deejay-dallas/
(Dallas has the Mario Ojemudia death stare!)
He's a math major, that's neat!
"Paging Amorion Walker... Amorion Walker to the red phone, please"
Some of you need to accept just how easy it is for other programs to negatively pitch our offense to a WR recruit.
We had one game last year where a WR went over 100 yards.
Now as a fan, I much prefer winning, but it will come with consequences at that position.
Yup, it's virtually impossible to field an elite team at all positions (see Alabama offensive line, OSU quarterback this year, etc), and even moreso when the team last featured a 1st round WR almost 20 years ago (Braylon in 2015).
The passing game is going to struggle but it's not like the B1G is full of teams that we're going to get into track meets with.
FWIW, Webb CB'd both Charleston and A. Walker to UM. Charleston has about as many career in-game catches as everybody else on the roster; I guess this is better than having fewer catches. The depth lost extends beyond the new pros and English/Clemons to include Thaw/Dennis/Dixon. Any plausible depth piece is a good pick-up, even if the main impact is at practice or on special teams.
Good Morning, National Champions....
All good points made here. Both main themes are true. Michigan won a National Championship by focusing on the run -- even with the best college QB the team has ever put on the field. That got us all the way to the title, yes, but it also is a clear message to transfer WRs looking to make a splash to get on draft boards that that splash is not going to happen here.
Add in the issues at QB this year, and WRs are going to stay away. I'm not surprised much at all. What does surprise me is that we're not getting the best of TE/OL/RB that's out there every single year. Those players should be lining up to be featured here.
We also have Donovan Edwards who can split out wide and threaten the defense. I'm guessing we'll see that this year by necessity, especially if Mullings, Hall, Marshall, or others prove they can move the offense.
Haha, LOL. we have had almost zero indication that DE will be used that way. In fact, word is he has bulked up (15 pounds gained? Something like that) presumably to be a better between-the-tackles runner.
As others have said, I'll believe The Don will be utilized consistently as a pass catcher when I see it in games. Then, I will gladly admit my wrongness.
Nope, we're going to run A LOT and any effective passing game will go through Loveland. He will have to have a huge year for us. Welcome to Rock Fight Season.
We have a number of good young receivers, especially with Moore and Bell looking good in the Spring. All of them have multiple years of eligibility left so it’s got to be tough to recruit transfers even aside from our offensive philosophy. We’re missing 3 things: depth, experience, and size. I’d love a star 6’4” grad transfer who would help with all three but that’s probably not in the cards.
Charleston doesn’t address size, is experienced but not at a high level, and is clearly meant to provide depth. Given the meaninglessness of scholarship limits, he would be a great addition on that front alone. Walker’s return gives us size and more depth but he is lacking in WR experience. I’d still love that star grad transfer, but if we get Charleston and Walker, we’d have 8-9 scholarship WRs (depending on O’Leary’s status) all but one of whom have more than 1 year of eligibility. It’ll be an unproven room, but a talented one that would no longer be rail thin.