Roman Wilson’s path to Michigan, outlook for 2023

A vertical threat, a speedster, someone who can get open deep — a few things that can describe Michigan receiver Roman Wilson.

The story so far

Wilson was a four-star prospect out of Hawaii in the class of 2020. Wilson was the No. 219 overall recruit and No. 38 wideout in his class. Wilson received offers from Oregon, UCLA, and Michigan.

After nine receptions for 122 yards with one touchdown as a freshman, Wilson became a difference-maker at the position during his sophomore campaign in 2021.

Wilson had 25 grabs for 420 yards and two touchdowns in ‘21 with clutch moments mixed in. Wilson’s performance on the road at Penn State was one of his finest hours to this point in his career — his three catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns made a world of difference in the Wolverines 21-17 win over the Nittany Lions.

Wilson would find more success late in the 2021 season, leading the team with 55 receiving yards against Ohio State and tallying a 75-yard touchdown reception from RB Donovan Edwards via trick play in the Big Ten Championship Game versus Iowa.

Wilson’s 2022 season featured similar results to ‘21 — 25 receptions for 376 yards, four receiving touchdowns along with two rushing touchdowns. Wilson got off to a hot start last season, with three total touchdowns in Michigan’s first two weeks of the season. However, it would take Wilson another nine games to tally another three scores.

Wilson’s biggest game of the year came on the highest stage of the year, a 51-45 loss to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl. Wilson had his first career 100-yard receiving game (five catches, 104 yards, one receiving touchdown, one rushing touchdown).

In all actuality, Wilson could have easily had another receiving touchdown but a bizarre overturned call went against Wilson and the Wolverines. Still, it was a valiant effort on the day for Wilson, who laid it all on the line.

Outlook moving forward

The rapport between QB J.J. McCarthy and Wilson was top-tier in the Fiesta Bowl, and Michigan will hope it’s a sign of things to come in 2023. Wilson’s tough, he has shown he can catch balls in traffic, and he’s electric on end-arounds and jet sweeps. There should be a multitude of ways that Michigan can utilize Wilson this fall, and if Michigan’s going to be a dynamic passing offense he’ll be a key contributor within it.