Five Storylines Heading Into The Spring Game
Michigan's spring game is scheduled for April 20 at noon, which will sort of mark the unofficial start of the Sherrone Moore Era. Sure, he's already been on the job for about a month, and the actual season won't start for another five months after the spring game, but that first, open-air scrimmage will give everyone a chance to see how things look under the new regime.
1. Quarterback
When you lose a guy like JJ McCarthy, who went 27-1 as a starter, you can't help but wonder who the next man up will be and how he will do. Right now, there isn't a no-brainer answer to either question. A lot of people are very intrigued by dual-threat quarterback Alex Orji, but no one has ever seen him throw a meaningful pass during his two years in Ann Arbor. Fans are high on early-enrolled freshman Jadyn Davis but he's just that — a freshman. He'll probably do some nice things in April, but is he ready to be the guy? After those two guys, no other names really move the needle but might end up being the best choice when the time comes. It's going to be really interesting to see who gets what reps during the spring game and of course, every throw will be broken down as much as possible.
2. Offensive Line
Just like at the quarterback position, things are wide open along the offensive line. All five (six counting Trente Jones) starters are gone. LaDarius Henderson, Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent, Zak Zinter, Karsen Barnhart and Jones are all off to the NFL. Myles Hinton, who started five games in 2023, is back but that's about it. No one else on the roster has any significant starting experience. New offensive line coach Grant Newsome really has his work cut out for him in his first year on the job. Finding the best five offensive linemen is going to be a tough task but there are large, talented players in the room. Keep an eye out for Greg Crippen, Gio El-Hadi, Jeff Persi, Andrew Gentry and of course Hinton.
3. Playcalling
With Moore now running the show as the head coach, Kirk Campbell has been tabbed the offensive coordinator. Not only is the playcalling dynamic changing, Michigan's roster is very different compared to last year on offense, almost across the board. That alone would cause things to change on the field. Throw in a new OC, O-line coach, tight ends coach and maybe running backs coach and you have the potential for some pretty big changes.
4. Wide Receiver
The quarterback and all five offensive linemen will be newcomers next year. The same can pretty much be said about the wide receiver spots. Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson are both off to the NFL and Darrius Clemons is in the transfer portal. Rising sophomore Semaj Morgan showed real flashes of being a weapon moving forward but his usage is somewhat limited because of his size. He's lethal in the screen game and maybe as a returner, but he's not going to take the top off of defenses or dominate defenses with his physicality. Tyler Morris has 16 career catches for 222 yards and a score during the course of his career. The one touchdown was a huge play against Alabama in the Rose Bowl, but he's by no means a seasoned veteran in terms of production. Now, he's the most experienced pass catcher in the room. It's going to be really interesting to see who else steps up from a group that has next to no history of production.
5. Cornerback Opposite Will Johnson
Just like before the 2023 season, the cornerback spot opposite Will Johnson is up for grabs. Josh Wallace transferred in and filled the vacancy admirably and he's now on draft boards. Now, Johnson is literally one of the best cornerbacks in the entire country and he needs a running mate. Most people hoped it would be Amorion Walker, but he's in the transfer portal. Instead, it might be rising sophomore DJ Waller. The 6-3, 205-pounder played in 11 games as a rookie and showed the physicality and mentality to be an every-down guy. Now he just has to work on his technique and perfect the mental side of things and he could be a real contributor. Jyaire Hill and Ja'Den McBurrows have also played sparingly and will likely be in the mix.
Bonus: The Game Itself
Everyone, including and maybe especially the media, is curious to see how things run under Sherrone Moore. As everyone knows by now, Jim Harbaugh ran an extremely tight ship. No one ever saw practice, the spring game was a real game but was never 1s vs. 1s and he kept things as close to the vest as humanly possible. Moore is old school, but more than 20 years younger than Harbaugh. He's a little more in tune with today's youth and what is popular in the grand scheme. I actually asked him if he'd be opening up practices during his introductory press conference and he laughed and said, "We'll see." I don't think he's going to be loosey goosey with the program, but I think we'll get a bit more access than we did with Harbaugh. What does that mean for the spring game? We shall see...
