McNamara, Corum impressed by Darrius Clemons’ athleticism

Michigan Wolverines’ receiver Darrius Clemons hasn’t been on campus long, but his presence is already being seen and felt — by fans and his peers.

The early enrollee, who stands 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, is someone that has already impressed teammates in the weight room and on the practice field.

“My first impressions when he early enrolled, I was like ‘that’s what a receiver should look like.’ He’s big, tall, muscled up,” running back Blake Corum said after Michigan’s spring game. “In the weight room, he was putting some crazy numbers up. Vertical jump, broad jump, bench, I was like ‘I can’t wait to see him put on pads,’ and when he put on the pads, it was no disappointment. He goes up and gets the ball, smooth routes, he’s clean. He takes good education; he takes advice from older players he soaks it all in.”

Something Clemons surely soaked in on Saturday afternoon was his first touchdown at Michigan Stadium in front of a crowd — Clemons showed his wheels and athleticism on a 35-yard touchdown. Clemons received ten targets on the day, hauling in 3 receptions for 52 yards and 1 touchdown.

“He’s gonna be a big-time player for us,” Corum said. “I’m excited to see what he does next.”

Corum wasn’t the only player who had positive things to say about the four-star freshman, quarterback Cade McNamara echoed Corum’s thoughts on Clemons.

“We noticed as soon as he walked through the door that he’s physically, he’s put together well,” McNamara said. “He’s a big dude. He’s got muscle, he’s got speed, he’s got strong hands. I think we were able to just show that a little bit today, and I can’t wait to see where his talents can go.”

Clemons, who scored 17 touchdowns during his senior season a Westview in Portland, Oregon, is one of three freshman wideouts Jim Harbaugh think have a whole lot to offer for the Wolverines as soon as this season.

“Freak show”, Harbaugh excitedly in March. “Really all three receivers physically, what we were just talking about, in terms of what they can do, running, jumping. Those traits are quite off the charts. Amorion Walker, Darrius Clemons, and Tyler Morris.”

Michigan’s receiver group is an increasingly big and talented one with the trio of freshman options on top of an already deep group — co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss joked that Michigan’s depth is “rich people problems” last month. And number zero will be a problem for opposing defenses this fall.