Amorion Walker Could Be 'Elite Playmaker' At Wide Receiver In Return To Michigan

The Wolverines are thin at wide receiver heading into 2024, but may have a playmaker in the fold after the return of a familiar face...

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive back Amorion Walker (1) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan is thin at wide receiver heading into the 2024 college football season, but a familiar face could provide a much-needed boost for the Wolverines' passing attack this fall.

Junior Amorion Walker, who transferred to Ole Miss in January following Michigan's win over Washington in the national championship game, is back in Ann Arbor after going through spring ball with the Rebels. The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder brings a tall target with elite quickness and good speed to the Wolverines' wide receiver room.

“Elite playmaker. Fast," head coach Sherrone Moore said in description of Walker. "He looks great. I mean, he’s long, lean but he’s as fast as ever, so we’re excited about him.”

What brought Walker back to Michigan after spending the spring semester in Oxford, Mississippi?

“It’s pretty much just the team, the camaraderie, the guys — I love being here," he said. "The coaches — I felt like something was missing. I feel like I can get the most out of myself here these last couple years.”

READ MORE: Michigan CB Will Johnson Wants To Play Offense This Season

A former three-star recruit out of Ponchatoula (La.), Walker played wide receiver during his freshman season at Michigan in 2022 before switching to cornerback in 2023. Some believed Walker would compete for a starting job opposite Will Johnson last year, but the sophomore appeared in just six games for the Wolverines, recording three tackles and a pass breakup.

Walker had a desire to return to wide receiver, and felt Ole Miss provided him an opportunity to move back to the offensive side of the ball. He'll now get that opportunity in Ann Arbor, as Michigan was in need of help at the position after losing seniors Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson to the NFL Draft and several other pass-catchers to the transfer portal this offseason.

 “A good amount," Walker said when asked how much the opportunity to play receiver impacted his decision to return to Michigan. "I’m going to be playing a lot of receiver this year. I’m ready to get to it, jump right back in. It felt like an old pair of shoes that you haven’t worn in awhile. So, it feels good.”

After going through a season at cornerback, Walker has an understanding of what makes a defensive back's job difficult, which he plans to apply to his game now that he's back on offense.

“It’ll help me a hell of a lot," he said. "Playing defense, you look at it at a different lens…I just kind of know all those tips and how to approach the game and attack guys. So, I think it’s going to help me a lot.”

After going through spring football with a different program, Walker has some catching up to do in terms of building chemistry with the Wolverines' quarterbacks, though his reps as a freshman give him a head start.

“That’s been good too, getting that connection with those guys," Walker said of working with the QBs. "Even though I feel like I had a little bit of that my freshman year. Like I said, putting on an old pair of shoes.”

Walker described several areas in which he hopes to improve in his return to the wide receiver room.

“I feel like I was a good route runner, but I want to improve my route running," he said. "Just every aspect of my game — fundamentals, technique, discipline, different situations. Just being a smart football player.”

Michigan returns a pair of experienced players at wide receiver in junior Tyler Morris and sophomore Semaj Morgan, but the players behind those guys bring limited game reps into 2024. The Wolverines will look to Walker, Youngstown State transfer C.J. Charleston, sophomore Fredrick Moore and redshirt freshman Kendrick Bell as emerging options in the pass game this fall.

Yet, despite the relative inexperience, Sherrone Moore is confident in the position group and Michigan's overall pass game.

“I feel good about it," Moore said of the WR room. "I feel really good. People forget about the guys like Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan and Fredrick Moore and all those guys. Super stoked with them and Kendrick Bell’s another guy who we’re excited about, so we’ve got good depth.

“Obviously, when you’ve got a tight end like Colston Loveland, you’ve got a great receiver-body there as well. With him and Marlin Klein, the tight end position we’re super excited about.”

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