Get To Know Michigan Football’s Top Receiving Touchdown Records

Although known more for its powerhouse brand of football, Michigan's football program has had a revolving door of receiving talent over the past three decades. From Desmond Howard to Braylon Edwards and Roman Wilson, there has been plenty of talent in the Wolverines' receiving room over the years. Here's how the receiving touchdown records shake out:

Despite holding the program record for career receiving touchdowns, wide receiver Braylon Edwards only collected a touchdown in three of his four seasons as a Wolverine. Like most freshmen, Edwards had to play the waiting game in his first season, seeing limited opportunities in just six games. 

As his sophomore season rolled around, however, there was no doubt that Edwards was the key component of Michigan's receiving core. He amassed over 1,000 yards through the air and cashed in 10 touchdowns as quarterback John Navarre's favorite target. Edwards' breakout only continued in his junior season, as he once again gained over 1,000 yards and topped his previous touchdown total, posting 14. This effort ultimately helped the Wolverines to a Rose Bowl appearance against USC, but they came up short, 28-14.

Edwards lived up to the sky-high expectations once again in his fourth and final season, tallying 15 receiving touchdowns to bring his total to 39. He received national acclaim as well, finishing 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting. While Michigan got its shot at redemption from the year prior in the Rose Bowl, it once again came up just short, losing to Texas, 38-37.

No receiver has come close to Edwards' record since. Mario Manningham has come nearest to catching Edwards in the 21st century, with 27 career scores for the Wolverines.

Wide Receiver Desmond Howard's 1991 campaign is quite a memorable one. He not only secured the single-season receiving touchdown record with 19, but he also became the first Wolverine to take home the Heisman Trophy. This hadn't happened since Tom Harmon won it in 1940.

Howard scored at least two touchdowns in seven of the first eight games he played in 1991, providing his squad with a security blanket of an almost-guaranteed 14 points each Saturday. With three regular-season games left, Howard seemed poised to break past the 20-touchdown mark, but his production in terms of getting into the end zone began to stall. Although his receptions and yards remained consistent, he just didn't find the end zone with the same efficiency, tallying just two touchdowns in the final four games.

Despite the late-season falter, Howard's monstrous season was already inked into the Wolverines' record books. His 19 touchdowns were plenty to overtake the previous record of 14 set by Anthony Carter in 1980. Edwards' aforementioned 2004 season came the closest to Howard with 15, but Howard's record has remained fairly comfortable.

There are two players tied for the single-game receiving touchdown record in Michigan history. Here's a closer look at those two historic performances.

After seeing limited field time in his first three years with Michigan, Jehu Chesson burst onto the scene in a big way in 2015. He garnered 764 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as the Wolverines' leading receiver. His numbers were significantly aided by his gigantic four-touchdown performance against Indiana on Nov. 14, 2015. Of his four touchdowns, three came in the first half, and his fourth tied the game in the waning seconds. Thanks in large part to his performance, Michigan won the game in double overtime.

This four-touchdown feat had been done once before in the Wolverines' history by Derrick Alexander. On Oct. 24, 1992, Alexander caught seven passes and took four of them into the end zone. The Wolverines trounced Minnesota 63-13 in the game, capping off Alexander's big game. Many players have caught three touchdowns in a game, but catching the fourth puts you in exclusive company.

Michigan head coach Gary Moeller had a hilariously tepid reaction to Alexander's game: "Early in the year, he didn't have confidence. Now that he has it you can see the improvement, but he still needs to keep focused."

The landscape of college football is always changing, and Michigan will have to change with it. So while the Wolverines may be ground-and-pound now, their brand can change on a dime, and these records may be threatened.