Four days after wide receiver Ronnie Bell tore his ACL in last year's season opener, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis was asked how much of Michigan football's playbook would need revising without a bona fide No. 1 receiver.
Gattis, who has since left for the same position at Miami (Florida), described Bell as an “alpha male” with the kind of playmaking ability that earned the trust of starting quarterback Cade McNamara and the offensive coaching staff whenever single coverage presented itself. Bell, who caught 26 passes for 401 yards during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, was capable of doing things the rest of U-M’s receivers were not.