Michigan Football Spring Game: Alex Orji Does Some Things, Several New Faces Flash, Questions Moving Forward

It's hard to make firm judgments during a spring game because of the format, but it's still football in April and it's worth breaking down ahead of the upcoming season.

Michigan's spring game is always a little bit up and down. On one hand, everyone is excited to see any football in April, so there's always some buzz leading up to it. That was especially true leading up to today's game because of all the changes. On the other hand, it's really hard to gauge what's really going on becuase the starters aren't playing with or against each other, valuable players don't play very much and play calls are about as vanilla as they come. Hell, quarterbacks aren't even allowed to get hit. Still, things happen and we'll dissect them until September rolls around because that's all we have. In this year's edition of the Michigan Spring Game, the Maize team defeated the Blue team 17-7 in somewhat of a snoozer, but a few things still managed to stick out.

Three Up

Alex Orji is different

Alex Orji is not JJ McCarthy, let's start there. He's not as polished as a passer and he probably won't ever have the accuracy numbers that McCarthy did. But, he does do some things that McCarthy can't. We saw Orji miss a few routine throws during the spring game and, while it was only a few throws in a weird setting with irregular pass catchers, they were easy throws that should be made 99% of the time. On the other hand, he's an absolute problem as a runner and as a physical presence. Defenses will 100% have to gameplan for him as a ball carrier, which should open up the passing game more than it ever was for JJ. Orji did throw it 18 times in the spring game, which is more than most expected, and he completed 13 of them. The long was only 12 yards, but he was better than good on most throws. Unless Michigan finds a big time player in the transfer portal, Orji is the guy in 2024 and it's not debatable.

New contributors flashed

In a setting like the spring game, where starters are mixed in with backups and depth guys, you really just hope that some of the expected new contributors will flash, and a couple certainly did. Zeke Berry, who really needs to step up with the loss of Rod Moore, was around the ball a lot. His No. 10 stood out over and over again and he looks ready to take his game to another level. He finished the day with two solo tackles including one for a six-yard loss. TJ Guy, who has been mentioned a lot this spring, also showed that he has taken a leap. He also had two solo tackles on the day, including a "sack" that went for a nine-yard loss. He looked big and fast off the edge, which is great for depth behind Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart. Second-year cornerback Jyaire Hill also showed that he could push for playing time opposite Will Johnson. The lanky DB finished with four tackles and had a nice pass breakup on a deep ball. On the other side of the ball, Fredrick Moore stepped up and looked ready to be at least WR3. He took a short crossing route and turned it into a 48-yard touchdown catch and looked fast and smooth doing it. He added one other catch on the day and finished with 76 yards through the air. Finally, Marlin Klein showed that he can be called upon to take some snaps and even make some plays behind Colston Loveland if necessary. He looks the part at 6-6, 250 pounds and finished the day with four catches for 36 yards. It's going to be Loveland's show at tight end, but Klein is definitely ready to contribute behind No. 18.

Donovan Edwards is ready

After a somewhat disappointing junior season, Donovan Edwards looks built, poised and ready for a monster senior campaign. He carried the ball just 5 times on Saturday but churned out 33 tough yards and really seemed ready for a big workload. He's noticeably bulkier after adding 15 pounds and knows that he's going to be a big part of U-M's offense in 2024.

One Down

Special teams questions

Tommy Doman punted it 53 times last year, so he's the undisputed guy heading into 2024, but he shanked one pretty bad on Saturday. It apparently went into the books as a 40-yarder, but Doman definitely didn't hit it clean. There's no concern with him, but when you're nitpicking a spring game this is what you find. As far as the placekicking duties go, there is a question mark there. Transfer James Turner is no longer on the roster, which means one of the young guys has to step up. Adam Samaha is supposed to be the next big thing at kicker for Michigan, but he missed an easy 30-yarder. He did connect on a 31-yarder, but he's got some improving to do before the fall rolls around.

It's hard to find truly good or truly bad developments from a spring game where the rosters are split and so many things are different from fall Saturdays. Still, it's nice to see some exciting plays out of Orji and it's always a good thing to watch football in The Big House.