# JJ Buchanan
**JJ Buchanan** is an American college football wide receiver for the [Michigan Wolverines](https://www.edgepedia.org/michigan-wolverines), who previously played for the Utah Utes in 2025. He is listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 218 pounds, wears number 6, and entered Michigan as a sophomore transfer after one season at Utah.[1](https://mgoblue.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/28109) • [2](https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/JJ_Buchanan)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position, class | Wide receiver, sophomore, jersey number 6, at 6-4 and 218 pounds[1](https://mgoblue.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/28109) |
| Hometown | Henderson, Nevada; Coronado High School[1](https://mgoblue.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/28109) |
| Recruiting | Four-star recruit out of Coronado HS, rated the No. 4 prospect in Nevada[3](https://utahutes.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/17000) |
| Utah 2025 | 26 catches for 427 yards and 5 touchdowns in 11 games as a true freshman[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) |
| Michigan 2026 highs | 7 catches vs UTEP; 130 yards and 2 touchdowns vs Iowa; long catch of 49 yards[1](https://mgoblue.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/28109) |
| Career totals | Through the 2026 Minnesota game: 18 games, 50 receptions, 873 yards (17.5 per catch), 9 touchdowns[5](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jj-buchanan-1.html) |
| Transfer | Entered the transfer portal after the 2025 season and followed Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham to Michigan[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) |
## Early life and high school
Buchanan attended Coronado High School in [Henderson, Nevada](https://www.edgepedia.org/henderson-nevada), where he played football and basketball and lined up at safety, tight end, receiver, running back, linebacker, and as a punt and kick returner.[2](https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/JJ_Buchanan) As a high school senior he caught 58 passes for 1,009 yards and 11 touchdowns.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) Recruiting services rated him a four-star prospect and the No. 4 player in Nevada, and he committed to Utah over offers that included California, Oregon State, and UNLV.[3](https://utahutes.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/17000) • [2](https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/JJ_Buchanan)
## College career
**Utah (2025).** Buchanan played 11 games for Utah as a true freshman and finished with 26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns, an average of 16.4 yards per catch.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) Although he carried a tight end label, he took fewer than a dozen in-line snaps all season, with his snaps split almost evenly between the slot and out wide, and he led all Power Four freshman pass-catchers with ten contested catches.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) His Utah highs were two receptions for a career-best 74 yards against Kansas State, including a 60-yard grab, and four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in the Las Vegas Bowl against Nebraska on December 31, 2025.[3](https://utahutes.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/17000)
**Transfer to Michigan.** After the 2025 season Buchanan entered the transfer portal, and when Utah head coach [Kyle Whittingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-whittingham) took the Michigan job, Buchanan followed him to Ann Arbor.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) Michigan slotted him as its starting slot receiver in the same offense, working with the coordinator who had recruited him.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) Analysis of his 2025 snap distribution placed him firmly in the wide receiver camp rather than the tight end one: 20 snaps (4 percent) at tight end, 269 (49 percent) in the slot, and 264 (48 percent) outside, a deployment closer to Michigan's historical big receivers than to its in-line tight ends.[6](https://mgoblog.com/content/2026-portal-recruiting-jj-buchanan)
**Michigan (2026).** Buchanan made his Michigan debut in a start against Western Michigan on September 5, catching six passes for 126 yards, including the game-winning touchdown. He started against Oklahoma on September 12 and caught two passes for 48 yards, then caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown against UTEP on September 19. Against Iowa on September 26 he led all pass-catchers with 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns on five catches, setting his Michigan career highs in yards, touchdowns, and longest reception (49 yards).[1](https://mgoblue.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/28109) Through the October 3 loss at Minnesota his career line stood at 50 receptions for 873 yards and 9 touchdowns in 18 games.[5](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jj-buchanan-1.html)
## Scouting profile
Buchanan's 6-4, 218-pound frame places him in the top 15 percent of NFL wide receivers on both height and weight, and evaluators point to his contested-catch production as evidence he already plays to that size.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade) High school scouting described a versatile athlete with high-level body control, ability to run after the catch, and speed to get behind a defense, recruited at one point as a wideout, tight end, linebacker, and safety.[6](https://mgoblog.com/content/2026-portal-recruiting-jj-buchanan) The main open question in his evaluation is volume: one season of 26 catches gave little evidence of separation against man coverage or of yards after the catch as a primary target, and a sophomore year of 50-plus catches in a Big Ten offense was identified as the benchmark that would move his projection quickly.[4](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade)
## References
1. [JJ Buchanan, Football Roster, University of Michigan Athletics](https://mgoblue.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/28109)
2. [JJ Buchanan, American Football Wiki](https://americanfootball.fandom.com/wiki/JJ_Buchanan)
3. [JJ Buchanan, Football Roster, University of Utah Athletics](https://utahutes.com/sports/football/roster/jj-buchanan/17000)
4. [JJ Buchanan, Michigan WR Scouting Report, ScoutSZN](https://scoutszn.com/player/3982?tab=grade)
5. [JJ Buchanan College Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jj-buchanan-1.html)
6. [2026 Portal Recruiting: JJ Buchanan, mgoblog](https://mgoblog.com/content/2026-portal-recruiting-jj-buchanan)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Wide receivers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license