Tarik Black, Michigan football relationship doomed to end in breakup instead of breakout

A year ago, it seemed as if Tarik Black had made his triumphant return. 

With a little more than 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter of Michigan football's blowout win over Penn State, quarterback Shea Patterson dropped back to pass, looking to add another touchdown to the Wolverines' 28-0 lead.

Patterson saw Black streaking down the sideline and let it rip. Black, five yards away from the nearest defender, tracked the ball and caught it in the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown. The crowd erupted. 

It was Black's first catch in more than a year.

"Welcome back, Tarik Black!" ESPN's Chris Fowler proclaimed. 

Then Fowler's next words: "There is a flag down, near where the pass was thrown."

Black's touchdown was nullified because of  a holding penalty. And as news broke Friday morning of Black's decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal, that near-touchdown from 2018 seemed to encapsulate his experience at Michigan: Outside forces he couldn't control continually affected his success.

If Black has indeed played his last game in a winged helmet, we'll look back at his career as star-crossed, and think about what might've been. 

More than two years ago, he stepped on campus and was immediately the team's top receiver — a rarity for a freshman. He was ahead of his highly touted classmates, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Oliver Martin, and it showed.

In Black's first game, he blew past Florida's secondary and caught a deep touchdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Later that game, he expertly tracked a throw down the sideline and brought it in over his shoulder for a big gain. 

In his first three games in 2017, Black had 149 receiving yards — the most on the team — and seemed primed for stardom. At the very least, he was on track to break Mario Manningham's freshman receiving record, set in 2005. 

Then Black broke his left foot late in Michigan's win over Air Force. The injury ended his season.

Just before the 2018 opener at Notre Dame, he fractured his right foot.  He managed to return that season against Michigan State and appeared in six games.  He clearly wasn't the same, and earlier this fall, Black admitted that he wasn't 100% when he returned in 2018.

This season was supposed to finally be his breakout season. He would be part of a three-headed monster with Peoples-Jones and Collins, each of whom had standout seasons in 2018. The expectation was that the trio would prove difficult to stop, especially as they saw more opportunities under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.

But that never really happened because of a combination of injuries, missed opportunities and the transition to the new scheme. Black was the team's fourth-leading receiver this season with 25 catches for 323 yards and one touchdown. His breakout season likely will have to come elsewhere.

There could be numerous implications for Michigan. Collins and Peoples-Jones, who combined for 13 touchdown catches, both have decisions to make about potentially entering the NFL draft.  And if Black leaves, that would mean three of Michigan's leading receivers (excluding Ronnie Bell) will have moved on. 

In that scenario, the Wolverines will have to receive more contributions from their 2019 class, which features Mike Sainristil, Giles Jackson, Cornelius Johnson and George Johnson. Sainristil, Jackson and Cornelius Johnson played extensively this season; all three appeared in more than four games, which means a redshirt is out of the question.  Collins, Peoples-Jones and Black are also the biggest scholarship receivers on the roster; their departures could theoretically hamper Michigan's ability to throw jump balls downfield.

It also could lead to more opportunities for the incoming freshmen. Michigan has three receivers committed to the 2020 class: four-star A.J. Henning, four-star Roman Wilson and three-star Eamonn Dennis. 

For some, it might be difficult to reconcile Black's vast potential with his relative lack of production at Michigan. But, like that negated touchdown in 2018, there was a lot that Black couldn't control. And with his decision to enter the transfer portal, it seems as if he'll move on and try to get a fresh start elsewhere — leaving many to consider what could've been.

Contact Orion Sang at osang@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @orion_sang. Read more on the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter.