Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 13-12vs Western Michigan | 6 | 126 | 21.0 | 1 | 47 | Season-high 126 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 17-10vs Oklahoma | 2 | 48 | 24.0 | 0 | 36 | |
| Total | 8 | 174 | 22.5 | 1 | 47 |
#6
JJ Buchanan
Sophomore wide receiver for Michigan. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 225 lb · Henderson, NV · Coronado
CFB Index 61 · #38 of 156 TEsHigh confidenceTransferred Utah → Michigan for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
174
receiving yards · 2026
8 catches · 1 TD · 21.8 per catch
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 6 rec, 126 yds, 1 TD, vs Western Michigan
Swing playSwung Utah from 38% to 61% to win.Utah at Kansas · 31-21
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 wide receiver for Michigan. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Utah in 2025.
- Transferred from Utah to Michigan in 2026.
Buzz vs Tape
Country hotter than the fans
The wider college football conversation reads him warmer than his own fans do — a gap of 42.5 points in belief.
27.5own fans
70national conversation
Anonymous Big Ten coaches say the quiet part out loud: Michigan Wolverines' hype is real, and their revamped roster could shake up the conference race. Can Bryce Underwood, Andrew Marsh, Jaime Ffrench, and J.J. Buchanan ignite an offensive…
Also worth knowing:
In Their Words
263 windows · 2026 fan posts
seconds×228.4clock×188.7underwood×86.1lea'ea×361.6whittingham×43.0utah×16.4michigan×7.5bryce×10.2
“Yep. Underwood especially. The only players on that Michigan team that had a right to be celebrating were the defense and Buchanan (who bailed Bryce out on a number of throws).”
reddit/CFB · fan post, verbatim
JJ Buchanan
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment. JJ Buchanan arrived at Michigan from Utah. One game to point at: 126 rec yds, 6 receptions against Western Michigan — Week 1, 2026.
174 REC YDS · 8 REC · 1 REC TD
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- portal record
- game log
His career
The week the volume broke through — put up 76 yds vs Nebraska.Nebraska · W 44-222025
202511 games
- Signed with Utah3-star out of Coronado
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Biff Poggi
Michigan
Coaching transition mid-career: Biff Poggi → Kyle Whittingham. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Michigan
2025Utah
2026Michigan
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Utah11-2HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2026Michigan2-0HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score percentiles
Medium-low confidence
Elite: yards / catch (98th percentile). Concern: receptions (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (5)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 4.0 REC/g, 87.0 YDS/g, 22.5 YPR, 0.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 17–10
vs Oklahoma
2 rec · 48 yds
A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.
With C. Brown — 42 AVG · 6 IN 20 · 51 LONG · B. Underwood — 111 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 74.4 · 87 rush yds (18 car) · 1 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · Western Michigan · 3&10 · Q4 · EPA +5.72JJ Buchanan 47 Yd pass from Bryce Underwood
- Week 1 · Western Michigan · 3&10 · Q4 · EPA +3.51(00:19) No Huddle-Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete deep middle to #6 J.Buchanan caught at WMU46, for 28 yards to the WMU47 (#6 J.Pope), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Oklahoma · 3&10 · Q1 · EPA +3.02(02:23) Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete short left to #6 J.Buchanan caught at UOM20, for 36 yards to the UOM45 (#44 T.Wein), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Western Michigan · 2&2 · Q1 · EPA +1.55(14:26) Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete short right to #6 J.Buchanan caught at UOM37, for 20 yards to the WMU47 (#9 W.Gerig), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · Western Michigan · 2&15 · Q3 · EPA +1.14(12:08) No Huddle-Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete short right to #6 J.Buchanan caught at UOM36, for 14 yards to the UOM36, End Of Play
- Week 1 · Western Michigan · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.91(15:00) Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete short right to #6 J.Buchanan caught at UOM32, for 8 yards to the UOM33 (#13 J.Thomas)
- Week 1 · Western Michigan · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +0.91(00:23) No Huddle-Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete short middle to #6 J.Buchanan caught at UOM22, for 9 yards to the UOM22 (#22 A.Louis)
- Week 2 · Oklahoma · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +0.75(09:52) Shotgun #19 B.Underwood pass complete short left to #6 J.Buchanan caught at OU 40, for 12 yards to the OU 38 (#25 M.Boganowski), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Complete TE
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
WR
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Javonte Vereen’s 2025 season.
Matches Javonte on
Yards / reception
Differs from Javonte on
Weight (lower)
Class year (lower)
EPA / play (adj) (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a freshman, his production profile tracks closest to Parker Livingstone's freshman season at Texas (2025).
79%match
Matches Parker on
Total EPA (college ability)
TD rate
Yards / reception
Differs from Parker on
Weight (higher)
Player DNA
Players who play like JJ Buchanan
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #104
Peaked at #104 this season.
Background
CAREER HIGHS (PRIOR TO MICHIGAN) • Catches: 4 - vs. Nebraska (Dec. 31, 2025) • Yards: 74 - vs. Kansas State (Nov. 22, 2025) • TDs: 1 - 5x, last vs. Nebraska (Dec. 31, 2025) • Long: 60 - vs. Kansas State (Nov. 22, 2025) PRIOR TO MICHIGAN • Spent one season at Utah (2025) and appeared in all 13 gam...
The receiver room · Michigan
- #3Andrew Marsh651 receiving yards · 2025
- #6JJ Buchanan427 receiving yards · 2025
- #9Channing Goodwin148 receiving yards · 2025
- Kendrick Bell54 receiving yards · 2025
- #10Jaime Ffrench6 receiving yards · 2025
9 more on the roster · Michigan team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology