Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy met with the media Monday and discussed the team’s strategic focus on adding size to the receiver position.
He highlighted the addition of Donaven McCulley as a significant move.
“Yeah, you know, as you guys know, we want to get bigger, right?” Bellamy said Monday. “We want to get bigger in the receiver room. You know, we had some attrition, and we tried to make up for it via the portal or through high school. But, you know, we chose the portal, and McCulley’s been a great addition.”
McCulley, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound wideout, comes to Ann Arbor after three seasons at Indiana. In 2023, he caught 48 passes for 644 yards and six touchdowns, all career highs. In total, he appeared in 35 games for the Hoosiers, making the transition from quarterback to wide receiver after his freshman season.
Known for his size and versatility, McCulley has quickly become an integral part of the team. Bellamy praised his work ethic and leadership.
“You know, he’s a young man who's played a lot of football. Head down, working hard, leader in the room. And he's a guy that, you know, we're leaning on to help with the young guys in developing that—as far as, you know, off the field—how to conduct yourselves, different things like that. But Donaven's been a great addition.”
The emphasis on bigger receivers is part of a broader strategy to exploit one-on-one matchups and enhance the passing game. Bellamy outlined the advantages taller receivers can provide.
“Well, it’s just what you’re asking the quarterback to do, right? You know, with the smaller guys—obviously, you like dynamic guys, right? Dynamic guys with the ball in their hands. But what the bigger guys give you is the one-on-one matchups. You can throw the ball up to those guys. You know, most people call them 50/50 balls. But, you know, if the ball’s in the air—it’s ours. That’s the mentality we have.”
Bellamy also noted that several of Michigan’s taller receivers have basketball backgrounds, drawing comparisons between rebounding and receiving.
“And when you’re starting to roll out 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 guys—most of those guys have basketball backgrounds, right? Ball’s in the air—it’s a rebound. They’re boxing people out, using their big body. So that’s something we did not have last year for the most part. We do now. We feel good about the additions that we made to address that. But to me, it takes stress off the play caller and the quarterbacks.”
McCulley’s frame and skill set offer shades of former Wolverine Nico Collins, who stood 6-foot-4 and was a reliable downfield threat during his Michigan career. Collins, now with the Houston Texans, was one of the last true big-bodied receivers to consistently make an impact in the Wolverines' offense.
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