The Michigan Wolverines added a five-star wide receiver in Donovan Peoples-Jones for the class of 2017 and the true freshman is already making an impact for Jim Harbaugh and company. However, Michigan's "other" big-time recruit at the position, Tarik Black, has arguably been more influential on the offensive side of the ball and that makes the news of Monday all the more brutal for the Wolverines.
Jim Harbaugh addressed the media in the aftermath of the team's win over Air Force and he announced that Black would be out for a considerable period of time with a broken foot. (via Detroit Free Press)
"He's going to be out and going to need surgery. He's got a crack in his foot, in the outside of his foot."
At the moment, Black is the leading receiver on the Michigan roster with 11 catches for 149 yards and this is certainly a loss. The Wolverines have struggled mightily at times to generate consistent production (especially in the red zone) through the air and Black's absence can only exacerbate the issues that already exist for the offense.
In terms of the future, it will be interesting to see how quickly Black can return, if only because Michigan has some incentive to hold him out in pursuit of a redshirt. Given that Black has only appeared in three games, that is very much on the table, but for now, this is simply unfortunate news.
