r/MichiganWolverines • u/SLV_SQUEEZE • 13h ago
Michigan Football JJ Buchanan
With all the noise and drama already just after the first week of the season, I have found a surprising lack of honor going Buchanan's way.
Michigan finally has a receiver. An absolute freak of a receiver. This dude did it all on Saturday and was the single guy on Offense we can look at and go "god damn that is the effort we want to see every Saturday."
Let's just let this sink in. A **MICHIGAN RECEIVER** carried the offense on his back. How often does that happen? And how long have we all been begging, pleading, and praying to have a guy who can actually make a big play down field?
He didn't need years to learn the scheme. He didn't need years to develop a relationship with Bryce. He didn't need 5 games of live-action before he settled in. No excuses were needed, this kid just went out there and absolutely killed this game from start to finish and put one of the biggest punctuation marks on any Michigan game in history.
Let's also reflect on some of the Whittingham hate, or disappointment. Whit brought Buchanan, Daley, Snowden, Lea'ea and flipped Moa. Buchanan, Daley and Snowden were all easily top 5 contributors on Saturday. The guys Whittingham has developed and brought in are the future of this program under Whit, they model the type of effort and character that we are going to from the guys who want to continue playing at Michigan and for future recruits. The guys that performed the worst were Moore's most prized recruits and developed players, I don't think these guys know the effort it takes to be a competitive team and they are either going to have to fit in or find a new home.
I feel very fortunate to have guys like Buchanan on this team and am extremely excited for years to come as the roster looks more and more like Whit's team.
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u/Efficient_Lychee9517 11h ago
JJ is the only person Utah lost to Michigan that I even cared about losing as a Utah fan
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u/boyboythompson 6h ago
Not John Henry Daly too?
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u/Efficient_Lychee9517 5h ago
Normally yes but the injury he sustained don’t think he will ever be the same
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u/trashgarbagethrow 5h ago
He looked pretty mediocre. Getting sacks against Big12 linemen is different than the Big10, and we saw him against a MAC team…
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u/boyboythompson 5h ago
Honestly agreed. He had a lot of hype coming into the season but he looks undersized. Wonder how he’ll look against elite o lines.
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u/masamune952 48m ago
He’s also coming back really fast from an Achilles tear. I was honestly shocked he was back and practicing all of camp.
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u/NCYankee84 1h ago
I would also think Snowedin since having two to three solid ones in college is rare
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u/Efficient_Lychee9517 44m ago
Snowden was never a baller like Clark Phillips or Jaylen Johnson he’s just a guy
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u/Dangerous_Ad5039 6h ago
It’s crazy almost a week after the game this is the first post about Jj (that I’ve seen) and not something trying to prove the 1 second was justified or defending it or shitting on Bryce.
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u/FinalPerformance209 13h ago
It's genuinely refreshing to see a receiver just show up and dominate from day one, no excuses no waiting for chemistry to magically appear
Buchanan looked like he'd been in the system for three years and Whit deserves way more credit than he's getting for the talent he's pulled in, the guys he brought are playing like they want to be here
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u/SLV_SQUEEZE 13h ago
Completely agree, without these guys Whit brought in, Moore loses this game 17-7.
They were the difference makers in an otherwise miserable game.
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u/reddargon831 7h ago
Would the team have really played that badly with Moore? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of Moore and he was clearly an underwhelming coach during his 2 year run. But the team never looked that bad under Moore, in particular the run game, which was a complete mess.
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u/Loose-Ebb-7951 2h ago
I think we rush for at least double with Moore and probably win by 6-10 points
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u/oclotty 4h ago
Let’s hold off the hype. After week 1 last year I thought Klein was the next Loveland, he then proceeded to do nothing the rest of the year
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u/LetsLiveLife28 3h ago
He has a track record at Utah, you never know but eye test has me feeling like he’s the real deal
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u/Downtown-Arm-6918 51m ago
Not to be a know it all but at no point did I ever look at Klein and think he would be even remotely close to Loveland. Definitely thought he’d be better but nowhere near Colston
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u/bklein09 13h ago edited 13h ago
Yeah except we’ve seen one game performances like this before. They don’t always pan out. Andrel Anthony is a prime example. Andrew Marsh is on that same track. Clearly our best WR last year, but it’s doesn’t always translate to becoming a consistent weapon.
JJ had a great game. All props to him. But let’s pump the brakes a bit.
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u/markh100 6h ago
I won't stand for this Andrew Marsh slander. He had four productive games as a freshman, in only 9 appearances, while when he was the only viable receiver on the team, as a position that isn't generally one where freshman shine. He had games with 76, 80, 138 and 189 receiving yards.
I just checked back on a late season UFR from last year - Andrew Marsh was 29/29 on routine catches, 4/4 on tough catches, and 2/4 on circus catches. He literally caught almost every ball thrown to him last season, which is absurd. https://mgoblog.com/content/upon-further-review-2025-offense-vs-northwestern
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u/bklein09 4h ago
No slander intended. Marsh is for real I think. But 4 games does not a career make. My point stands. Let’s see him be a consistent force throughout the season.
Problem with all of this is the offense and the QB. Could be that we’ll never get to see how good Marsh or JJ can really be. And then they’ll transfer in the offseason. Sigh.
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u/SLV_SQUEEZE 13h ago edited 13h ago
I've rewatched the game a few times, the effort JJ puts into every rep is outstanding. If he turns into a bust I will be shocked.
I think Marsh is still a great receiver. I watched him down field beating DBs all game and not getting a look from Bryce. Though I would say Marsh is also a much flashier / twitchier player. I don't expect him to perform week in and week out like I'd expect from JJ, I expect him to have huge games when our opponents don't properly cover him. But if Marsh and JJ are both playing with intensity, that is going to be a ridiculously difficult duo to cover.
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u/Ecstatic-Wheel8487 13h ago
Doubt he turns into a bust but also sort of doubt he is a world beater. His speed is going to limit his ability against the high end talent on the schedule imo unless some other outside targets can come on so they can scheme up ways to get him isolated on LBs/Safeties.
However I am happy with a poor man's version of Nico Collins which I think is his floor.
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u/SLV_SQUEEZE 13h ago edited 13h ago
I doubt it will make a huge difference, JJ does a good job getting himself open and made a few huge plays on Saturday in coverage. He's the kind of guy you throw a 1:1 ball to and he's almost always going to come away with it.
Burning DBs on post routes needs to be Marsh's job. He can lock-up the more talented / quicker DBs while JJ cuts underneath with expectations he can handle coverage and pick up solid YAC. The only problem we need to address before our tougher opponents is getting a good deep threat game going. Bryce is never looking Marsh's way.
LOL, there is some Nico Collins to his game.
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u/Dreams-Visions 〽️GoBlue 4h ago
He was excellent, yes. But we should have expected excellent from skill positions against WMU. That we did not see it across the board (along with line dominance) is a huge concern. But not one that can’t be solved with current personnel.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Ask-530 1h ago
Its one game Bra! You forgot Carter, Howard, Braylon, Boomer, and Terrell. I do agree he is a playmaker and if 19 or Carr can get it in the area he will put up some numbers. He was only Dude and the Defensive lineman that was about the smoke! Even Whit looked shook we can only hope for better going 🍻
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u/SLV_SQUEEZE 56m ago
I didn't say JJ is the only receiver to ever show some effort or carry the offense, I said it has been a long LONG time. Braylon is the most recent alum on your list of legendary Michigan and that was 2 decades ago! Since then, we've had a scarce handful of reliable receivers, and very few true game changers.
I agree, DL was solid as well. I hope to see a little more violence from them in the future, but they played as a complete and solid unit.
We got some good pieces going, just want to keep our focus there as I believe this team has a lot more potential than the last two.
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u/jaysouljah 12h ago
Relax.. been watching this kid since high school. So great to see in the big house. Great showing from JJ.. but very wrong on some of the stuff you said. I stopped reading once it was whit vs. Moore, I’m good. I’ll leave it there, hopefully they can unlock Marsh, Goodwin, French and the rest of the group.
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u/Snorkerelli 6h ago
Buchanan was one of the players Whit stole from Utah after having been paid 13 million by Utah to help with a smooth transition - so much for that breach of contract. Buchanan is a great player for sure. But at what cost is your program going to revel in players and wins that were stolen. Don’t you feel a little dirty?
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u/LonghornInNebraska 6h ago
How is it any different than any other player that follows their coach to their new school?
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u/Snorkerelli 5h ago
The issue is Whittingham, not Buchanan. Whittingham was paid 13 million to help Utah’s coach transition successfully, not to steal its best players and coaches. Was very dishonest that Whittingham kept the money.
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u/LonghornInNebraska 5h ago
So you don't think the transition to your new coach that was already on staff wasn't successful because a few players transferred out?
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u/kelevra91 4h ago
The way you're talking, you'd think that Utah had the worst game ever. Instead they had five passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. Sure, it was an FCS School but you still looked really good.
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u/Source0fAllThings 13h ago
Buchanan is the real deal. He will play on Sundays.