Dynamic 2022 Wide Receiver Omari Kelly Talks Michigan Offer

Michigan extended a scholarship offer to 2022 wide receiver Omari Kelly on Wednesday, and the speedy prospect shared his reaction to the news.

Gene Swindoll / submitted

With the Michigan team set to report soon, the U-M coaches are busy getting some last-second recruiting in before shifting a bit of attention to the current Wolverines team. Yesterday, U-M offensive coordinator Josh Gattis directed his focus on 2022 Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt-Trussville wide receiver Omari Kelly and extended an offer to the rising prospect.

During Gattis' tenure, Michigan has made a concerted effort to put quick players in a position to use their speed on offense, and Kelly's skill set matches up with that strategy. At 5-11 and 172 pounds, Kelly uses his acceleration, change of direction and awareness to create separation downfield, often in the secondary, but he is also an impact returner for the Huskies.

Coach Gattis took notice of these attributes and praised Kelly for his big-play ability as a sophomore.

“He talked about what he liked about me,” Kelly told Wolverine Digest. “He talked about my vision. He likes how I was used in the offense we have.”

With Michigan in the mix, Kelly also sports scholarship offers from Louisville, Maryland, Tennessee, Kansas and SMU, and the class of '22 recruit took a visit to Knoxville last summer to check out the Volunteers' program.

As for his interest in the Wolverines, Kelly mentioned that he was both excited and caught off guard to hear from Coach Gattis and to land his U-M offer. But living in Alabama, Kelly admittedly does not know a ton about the U-M program, so he will be looking to find out more as the recruiting process goes on.

“I don't know that much, but I know people that have been on visits up there,” Kelly said. “They say the atmosphere is really nice.”

Kelly is teammates with 2022 four-star defensive end Justin Finkley, and he has taken a trip up to Ann Arbor in the past and shared a little bit about his visit. At the moment, Finkley is listed as the No. 11 weak-side defensive end in the class by 247Sports.com, and he holds offers from Michigan, Auburn, LSU and Tennessee, among others.

At the moment, both Kelly and Finkley are working hard to improve on the Huskies' 6-4 record from a year ago. In particular, Kelly mentions that he is working on his speed over the offseason.

“I have a trainer in downtown Birmingham,” Kelly said. “He's been working with me to make sure I stay sharp. He does speed training and weightlifting and stuff like that.”

On tape, Kelly lines up in the slot a lot, and he is targeted on both quick routes and longer, downfield-breaking passing concepts and compares his playing style to that of Calvin Ridley.

“I want to hit the 1,000 yard mark for the season, and I want to have at least 15 offers by the end of the season.”

At the moment, recruits cannot make on-campus visits until after July 31, so many prospects are in a wait-and-see period, Kelly included.

“I haven't really thought about it that much, but I feel like I will when things start picking back up,” Kelly said.

In the meantime, Kelly is strictly focused on preparing for the 2020 campaign and will let the recruiting aspect take care of itself down the road.

How many wide receivers would you like for Michigan to take in the 2022 class? Should the Wolverines focus on players that can double as return threats as well, such as Kelly? Let us know!