Name: J.J. Buchanan
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 218 lbs.
High school: Henderson (NV) Covenant
Position: Wide receiver
Class: Sophomore
Jersey number: #6
Last year: Buchanan played at Utah. He caught 26 passes for 427 yards and 5 touchdowns while starting seven games.
TTB Rating: N/A
Buchanan was a lightly regarded tight end recruiting coming out of high school and was listed by Utah as a tight end in 2025, but he didn't play tight end. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck moved him all around the field, playing him in the slot, outside, snug to the line, etc. He showed a really impressive ability to adjust to short throws and especially balls thrown behind him, and his hands are outstanding. At 6'4" with long arms and strong hands, he's a problem for opponents because of the size advantage against most defensive backs.
Michigan needed help at wide receiver after frankly being pretty bad at receiver in 2025. Michigan has not recruited extremely well at wide receiver in the past couple classes outside of Andrew Marsh, and the inability to throw the ball also goes back to having starting quarterbacks named Davis Warren and Alex Orji, along with a young true freshman Bryce Underwood last year. Kendrick Bell and Channing Goodwin don't strike fear into opponents, so Michigan brought in Buchanan - a size mismatch - and Jaime Ffrench (Texas) and Salesi Moa (Utah). Between Buchanan and Marsh as the top two and then whoever they decide the #3 and #4 receivers will be, the Wolverines should be much improved in 2026.
I wanted to save Buchanan for later and thought long and hard about whether to rank him higher than Andrew Marsh, but ultimately, I think Marsh is the field stretcher and perhaps special teams contributor (kick/punt returner) who could be more difficult to replace. Underwood developed a good rapport with Marsh during the second half of last season, and this spring/summer, it looks like Underwood has done the same with Buchanan. While it should be a run-focused offense, it looks like Michigan will be able to create some big plays and more consistent chunk gains through the air this fall.
Prediction: Starting wide receiver; 50 catches, 750 yards, 7 touchdowns
We may not have a 1ooo yard WR again, but the THREAT is there like we haven’t seen in years. Buck and Marsh should be 1a and 1b, with others (and the TE/FB) contributing a little too …. our receiver room is MUCH improved since the days of pLayMaKeRs
ReplyDelete*speaking of Orji, despite a year plus, two springs and two fall camps in Vegas, he’s been passed (again) by … journeyman transfer Jackson Arnold. Davis Warren? He’s QB1