Michigan's Roman Wilson not surprised by breakout 2023: 'Not in a cocky way, but no'

For the fifth time in seven quarters, wide receiver Roman Wilson raised his arms to the roar of more than 100,000 fans as he waltzed into the end zone.

On this particular play on Saturday against UNLV, the Michigan football senior caught a crossing route in stride and outran the defense for a 47-yard touchdown. It was his second score of the afternoon and Michigan's longest in the young season.

Wilson's five TDs are tied for the lead among the nation's receivers (among those with two games played). That 47-yarder was the longest and best of the bunch, but it wasn't what he wanted to talk about after Michigan cruised to a 35-7 victory.

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Wilson wanted anybody willing to run the film back from the play before — when he suplexed a UNLV defensive back into the turf.

"I was excited about that, like I was way too excited about that — I’ll give up a touchdown to get another pancake any day," Wilson smiled after the game. "I remember I pushed him, got him on the floor, and I watch the linemen block and when they get pancakes, they jump on them, so I just jumped on him.

"He was looking at me, I just smiled at him the whole time."

How could Wilson help but smile? Sitting at the podium for his second consecutive week — a spot generally reserved for the players who made the largest impact in the game — the Hawaii native reflected on his journey.

Of the nights he snuck out of his various Ann Arbor homes and into Schembechler Hall to put in some work after hours. The early mornings when he watched extra film. The evenings he stayed late after practice to catch pass after pass from the JUGS machines.

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All that work was for an afternoon like Saturday. So, no, he's not surprised.

"Not in a cocky way, but like no, not really," Wilson said. "I put in a lot of work this offseason — not just this offseason, since I was a freshman. It's finally paying off and it feels really good. ... I'm not going to say I'm surprised, because I'm just focused on whatever's going to happen next."

Wilson is now the top receiving threat for quarterback J.J. McCarthy — who went 22-for-25 for 279 yards and two scores on Saturday. Last week, McCarthy called Wilson "one of the most special players in the country."

Although Wilson might only be looking forward, it's only right to look back to see how Wilson evolved to this point. It was late last season when Wilson had nearly fallen out of favor with the offense. In a five-game stretch from early November through the Big Ten championship game, the junior caught just four passes for 19 yards and graded out below average in seven straight games, according to Pro Football Focus.

Then, in the College Football Playoff semifinal against TCU, he broke out: Five catches for 104 yards — yes, he's sick of talking about what appeared to be a long touchdown catch that was called short — and a 22-yard touchdown run set the tone for an offseason ahead.

With Ronnie Bell departing for the NFL, the job of No. 1 wide receiver was up for grabs. It was perhaps the biggest question on the roster before the season. His position coach urged him to seize it.

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“He can beat you and he could catch a shallow route and go 80, he could catch a slant, he can run a post, he can go dig — proven all that, he can get an end-around," wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy said in the offseason. “Roman has a complete skill set and he’s been able to utilize that. Roman is a big believer. Roman knows that he’s a special football player, but now just challenge him to be the most dynamic football player in America.

"That’s something that he’s chasing every day.”

In case there was any doubt about his perception among those in the program, Jim Harbaugh presented him with the No. 1 jersey in late August. It's given only to those U-M believes can be a game-changing wide receiver.

Wilson passed the first test with flying colors last week: He hauled in six catches for 78 yards and a career-high three touchdowns in Week 1 against East Carolina. In Week 2 against UNLV, Wilson doubled down.

Five plays into the game, he lined up in the left slot, ran a corner route against man coverage and easily won the matchup to haul in a 25-yard reception. On the final drive of the first half, with only another four-yard catch on his line, Wilson again lined up in the left slot (this time in a five-wide receiver set).

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On first-and-10 from the UNLV 13, the senior ran a five-yard in, broke off his route and caught the pass in stride before he lept into the end zone to put U-M up 21-0 in the final minute of the half. Wilson only touched the ball one time in the second half, but it went for that aforementioned 47-yard score.

As McCarthy explained, the offense got the Cover-0 look it wanted and he knew, with a designed play-fake to Corum, there was a good chance for a chunk play. Last season, that's probably all it would've been.

"I was little bit pressured to the right so I slid a little bit," McCarthy said of his read. "I saw Roman just get a little bit of separation, stepped up, and just gave it to him."

That's McCarthy's evolution — how he saw the field, felt the rush, moved his feet and delivered the ball. But Wilson had a decision to make, too. UNLV was in man coverage and he appeared to have a step on his defender. But, instead of turning on the burners upfield, his instincts told him to cut left.

"I wasn't sure if I was going to go over or under the nickel," Wilson began," I decided to go under and just went with speed."

Turned out to be a good call.

It's not as though Wilson is the only target in U-M's offense. On the contrary, Michigan had six wide receivers with multiple catches Saturday. Fellow senior Cornelius Johnson is tied with Wilson for the team lead in catches (10) and has the slight edge in all-purpose yards (179-163).

Michigan could've won Saturday without Wilson's contribution. The same was true about last week. It will again be true about next week. It's a nonconference schedule that poses no resistance, but sometime this season, there will be an opponent who can test U-M.

That's why Wilson might be smiling today but is keeping his focus on tomorrow.

"These games are very important to get that chemistry, that feel for the game going," Wilson said. "Focusing on the details, not going out there and sitting out until the big game comes. Really focusing on the little things like our run fits in the blocking game or route details and getting your depth or catching the ball and turning it up trying to score.

"When you get to a later game, that's how you win in the fourth quarter."

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football WR Roman Wilson beginning to tap into full potential