Rutgers · W 28-21
5 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD
The other 7 games average 77 yards. This one was 14 below.
Dashed line: 100 yards.
“Buchanan is an NFL receiver”
9 stories in the last 60 days, from 6 outlets.
Fans predict JJ Buchanan will lead Michigan in receiving this year
Maize n Brew +1 Sep 28
No bar in a game where the team had under 100 receiving yards: a share of that little says nothing.
Share of the team's total this season.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed. Of his catches with a spot in the play text: left 13, middle 7, right 16.
JJ Buchanan
JJ Buchanan arrives at Michigan with a new fit to prove and an old chapter closed.
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
602
Team leader in receiving yards (602).
Michigan fans keep putting the player's case on trial, week to week.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-11-04
Play style
Moves the chains on third down.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 6 outlets
Fans predict JJ Buchanan will lead Michigan in receiving this year
Maize n Brew +1 Sep 28 · 2 outlets
from 11 outlets
Fans predict JJ Buchanan will lead Michigan in receiving this year
Maize n Brew +1 Sep 28 · 2 outlets
Maize n Brew +1Michigan’s JJ Buchanan is a special and unguardable WR, per Kyle WhittinghamAug 11
Sports IllustratedHow JJ Buchanan and Michigan's 'Explosive' Offense Will Help Andrew Marsh in 2026Aug 10
On3Michigan HC Kyle Whittingham calls JJ Buchanan 'unguardable': 'A complete receiver in all aspects'Aug 10Maize n Brew +1Fans predict JJ Buchanan will lead Michigan in receiving this yearSep 28
The Detroit NewsJ.J. Buchanan has early look of receiving weapon for MichiganAug 24Maize n Brew +1
FOX SportsMaize n BrewOn3Maize n Brew +1Each week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories we tracked, by school.
Michigan23 stories2026 to nowMost about: profile and feature, camp and practice, in his words.
Maize n Brew +1Michigan’s JJ Buchanan is a special and unguardable WR, per Kyle WhittinghamAug 11Maize n Brew +1Fans predict JJ Buchanan will lead Michigan in receiving this yearSep 28Sports IllustratedHow JJ Buchanan and Michigan's 'Explosive' Offense Will Help Andrew Marsh in 2026Aug 10
Utah11 stories2025Most about: performance and stat line, in his words, awards and watch lists.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named JJ Buchanan vs Western Michigan.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 63 receiving yards, 5 catches, 1 receiving TD.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 13-12vs Western Michigan | 6 | 126 | 21.0 | 1 | 47 | |
| Wk 2 | W 17-10vs No. 11 Oklahoma | 2 | 48 | 24.0 | 0 | 36 | |
| Wk 3 | W 52-17vs UTEP | 7 | 92 | 13.1 | 1 | 21 | |
| Wk 4 | L 19-20vs No. 17 Iowa | 5 | 130 | 26.0 | 2 | 49 | Season-high 130 yds |
| Wk 5 | L 14-20@ Minnesota | 4 | 50 | 12.5 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 7 | W 21-18vs Penn State | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Wk 8 | L 6-13vs No. 6 Indiana | 6 | 57 | 9.5 | 0 | 17 | |
| Wk 9 | W 28-21@ Rutgers | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 1 | 30 | |
| Total | 38 | 602 | 15.8 | 5 | 49 |
Oct. 31 · W 28-21 at Rutgers, play by play
5 catches for 63 yards and a touchdown. Michigan threw to him on 5 of its 27 passes. He was 3 of 3 on third and fourth down.
6-yard touchdown on 3rd and 6. First quarter, made it 7-0.
30-yard catch on 3rd and 7. Second quarter, up 7-3. Converted.
7-yard catch on 3rd and 3. Third quarter, up 14-13. Converted.
6 catches for 57 yards. Michigan threw to him on 11 of its 32 passes. He was 2 of 5 on third and fourth down.
10-yard catch on 3rd and 17. First quarter, down 3-0.
17-yard catch on 3rd and 3. Third quarter, down 6-0. Converted.
Incomplete on 3rd and 4. Fourth quarter, down 6-3. Broken up by Indiana’s A. Harris.
7-yard catch on 3rd and 3. Fourth quarter, down 6-3. Converted.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
3 catches for 36 yards. Michigan threw to him on 5 of its 18 passes.
16-yard catch on 3rd and 7. First quarter, down 3-0. Converted.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
4 catches for 50 yards. Michigan threw to him on 8 of its 21 passes.
Incomplete on 3rd and 12. Second quarter, tied 7-7. Broken up by Minnesota’s J. Howard.
17-yard catch. Fourth quarter, down 20-14.
Incomplete on 4th and 5. Fourth quarter, down 20-14. Turnover on downs.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
5 catches for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns, his most this season. Michigan threw to him on 7 of its 28 passes. He was 2 of 3 on third and fourth down.
9-yard catch on 3rd and 5. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted.
18-yard touchdown on 3rd and 7. First quarter, made it 7-0.
Incomplete on 3rd and 4. Third quarter, up 10-7.
49-yard touchdown. Fourth quarter, made it 19-14.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
7 catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Michigan threw to him on 9 of its 28 passes. 66 of the 92 came before halftime.
21-yard touchdown. Second quarter, made it 14-14.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
2 catches for 48 yards. Michigan threw to him on 6 of its 17 passes. All of it came before halftime of a 17-10 win.
36-yard catch on 3rd and 10. First quarter, tied 0-0. Converted. Fans named him again and again right after: the most-talked-about moment of his game.
“What exactly does Whit coach??? Buchanan and Daly are both dawgs tho”Michigan fan, r/CFB game thread
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
6 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. Michigan threw to him on 9 of its 23 passes. He was 2 of 4 on third and fourth down.
Incomplete on 3rd and 8. Second quarter, up 7-3. Broken up by Western Michigan’s M. Davis.
Incomplete on 3rd and 3. Fourth quarter, down 9-7. Broken up by Western Michigan’s J. Pope.
28-yard catch on 3rd and 10. Fourth quarter, down 12-7. Converted.
47-yard touchdown on 3rd and 10. Fourth quarter, made it 13-12.
Seen from behind the quarterback; numbers are yards past the line of scrimmage. The play text only says left, middle or right, so inside a lane marks are sorted, not placed.
Week 4 · 2026
L 19-20
vs Iowa
5 rec · 130 yds · 2 TD
With B. Underwood — 276 yds · 2 TD · 1 INT · QBR 72.7 · 36 rush yds (14 car) · C. Brown — 42.5 yards per punt · 4 punts · 1 inside the 20
The plays that mattered most
40th in receiving yards, among all 2,086 FBS players with a receiving row this season, any position
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -24 to +24 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
6033% of team targetsCatch rate
63%38 of 60 targetsShort · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
63% catch rate on 60 targets · 33% of the team's targets · 36% catch rate on 11 deep targets (20+ air yds).
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 4.8 | 81.5 | 17.6 | 0.7 |
| Road2g | 4.5 | 56.5 | 12.6 | 0.5 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.5 | 80.3 | 18.1 | 0.7 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.5 | 60.0 | 11.1 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
39.5%
192 pass / 294 run
Plays / game
60.8
8 games
Team sack rate
6.5%
217 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
About as many catches a game as a typical FBS receiver who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #44 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to Michigan
