A former 3-star recruit, Michigan WR Ronnie Bell was actually going to pursue a college basketball career. Instead, the once-unheralded, so-called undersized, 6-foot, 192-pound (he was about 15 pounds lighter when recruited) prospect opted for football — which ended up being a wise choice.

For the past 2 years, Bell has been one of the Wolverines’ best players.

He’s electric. He’s athletic. He’s a competitor.

On Saturday, during Michigan’s 47-14 season-opening win against Western Michigan, Bell had a 31-yard kick return and a 76-yard catch for a touchdown, looking like coach Jim Harbaugh’s top option on offense and one of team’s best return men.

Then things took a turn for the worst; he twisted his knee after the return, suffering an MCL injury that left him throbbing with pain on the sideline. It was tough to watch.

The official word came Monday, direct from Harbaugh: Bell is done for this season.

“It’s very difficult seeing a teammate, a brother, hurt. Ronnie is a big part of this team,” said QB Cade McNamara during the postgame presser. “I’m praying for whatever it is for him to be OK, in any sort of fashion. Obviously, it’s super difficult, and you hate to see it.”

Without Bell, the Wolverines will lack a leader on the field — he’s a captain — and a high-level performer. They don’t really have a true deep-ball threat — and that was never supposed to Bell, it just happened to lean that way for a guy who was viewed more as a slot receiver.

The Wolverines do have others waiting in the wings to fill the deep-ball and slot roles. So there won’t be a lot of waiting and guessing. Everyone knows the names of the next guys. Actually, many have already proven themselves as key targets. The loss of Bell hurts Michigan, but the “next-man-up” mentality rules the world of athletics, and Harbaugh’s Wolverines should be able to survive the loss.

These players will have to do more:

AJ Henning

At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Henning doesn’t have the size to be a go-and-get/vertical receiver — he’s not a Nico Collins. His speed and elusiveness, however, are invaluable and fit well with the “Speed in Space” tagline that was offered up by Michigan the past 2 seasons.

On Saturday, Henning had an-11 yard reception. He was only targeted twice, but that will likely change as the Wolverines adjust to the loss of Bell. He also added a 74-yard touchdown off an end-around in the third quarter, putting an iron stamp on the blowout over the Broncos. Like a couple of others on the roster, Henning has the ability to be a special utility player who can do a variety of things on offense.

Cornelius Johnson

Johnson is one of the biggest WRs on Michigan’s roster, so it makes sense to project him as the deep-ball threat.

On Saturday, Johnson — a 6-3, 211-pound junior — had 2 catches for 15 yards (10-yarder/5-yarder) on 3 targets. The 11-yarder can be seen at 23 seconds in the above video. So obviously, nothing crazily far down the field … but it’s hard to judge after just one game against a weaker opponent.

Roman Wilson

Prior to Saturday, the 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore played in 6 games (all in 2020) and made 9 catches for 122 yards and touchdown. He didn’t have a catch against WMU, but he did have a 74-yard carry off an end-around (7:59 in above video). He and Henning are similar types, so expect to see a more sleight-of-hand in the backfield to both this season.

Daylen Baldwin

The new kid at school, Baldwin previously played at Jackson State and Morgan State before returning home to the Great Lakes State. On Saturday, he was on the receiving end of the Wolverines’ best passing play of the day — and one of the better from the previous 3 seasons –from true freshman QB JJ McCarthy.

Baldwin, 6-2 and 219 pounds, is roughly the same size as Johnson and can be used much in the same way. He’s physical and able to shed defenders for some serious YAC, like he did against the Broncos. Check out the video at the 9-minute mark and you’ll see McCarthy scramble to his far right and sling it to Baldwin, who got nice separation from Broncos senior CB AJ Thomas en route to a 69-yard touchdown.

Given their somewhat-established track record, Johnson, Henning and Wilson are the obvious candidates to replace Bell’s production — but watch out for Baldwin, who seemingly came of out of nowhere Saturday with his touchdown reception. He might be a wild card.

Bell’s absence is a blow to the Wolverines, but they do have reinforcements and weapons capable of reducing the sting of losing a captain.