Observations on the Spring Game 2024

It was a chilly 42 degrees with 15 mile per hour winds for the Spring Scrimmage on April 20. The gates opened at 11:00 a.m., and the kickoff was at 12:07 p.m.; the scrimmage ended at 2:06 p.m. Here are my evaluations of the 2024 Michigan Football Team, and observations of the scrimmage:

At Quarterback, Alex Orji showed off his athleticism on the first drive, and ran for an 18 yard TD to give the Blue squad a 7-0 lead. On the day, Orji completed 13 of 18 for 103 yards, but was sacked 3 times although one was really not a sack as he ran in for another TD late in the 4th quarter that would have closed the score to 17-14. Orji had his leg wrapped, and was limping late in the game. Orji carried 5 times, and netted 2 yards; he threw the ball better than expected, and fired a lot of bullets in practice prior to the start of the scrimmage. Jadyn Davis got in some reps for the Blue squad, and was 2 of 4 passing with one sack. The best quarterback on the field was Davis Warren; he was 6 of 9 for 136 yards and 2 TDs including a 48 yard TD strike to Fredrick Moore, and a 42 yard bomb to Kendrick Bell. Warren also hit Deakon Tonielli on a 35 yarder early in the game. Warren led the Maize Team for its second come from behind win over the Blue Team in the last two seasons, 17-7, and 22-21. Jayden Denegal was the Maize backup; he completed 2 of 6 for 39 yards, but was picked off by D.J. Waller. Denegal ran 4 times for -4 net yards after a sack was deducted; he also recovered a fumble. Jack Tuttle did not play, and didn't practice in the Spring due to a knee injury; he is expected back soon for Summer Drills. The Maize Team dominated Time of Possession by nearly 6 minutes, but the Blue Team ran 5 more plays; the Maize Team was 3 of 10 in 3rd and 4th down conversions, and the Blue Team was 5 of 15 in 3rd and 4th down. Each team gained two red zone opportunities, but only converted one of two with the Maize squad gaining 3 points while the Blue Team gained 7 points in their red zone although the second red zone ended with a questionable sack.

At Running Back, Donovan Edwards ran 5 times for 33 yards; he was impressive, and everyone knows his capabilities. He has nothing to prove. He was the team's biggest cheerleader on the sidelines, and was encouraging team members all afternoon. The Maize Team didn't have much of a running attack with only 5 rushing first downs and 74 net yards, but Tavierre Dunlap had 61 net yards on 15 carries. Kalel Mullings ran 5 times for 16 yards for the Maize Team. Ben Hall ran 11 times for 27 net yards for the Blue Squad. Freddy Moore and Tyler Morris ran jet sweeps for 5 and 3 yards respectively. Henry Donahue came in late with 3 carries for 8 yards. Cole Cabana and Bryson Kuzdzal also played with no carries.

Our receivers looked good, but depth is certainly a problem. Fredrick Moore had two receptions for 76 yards and a TD for the Maize Team. Kendrick Bell had two receptions for 53 yards and a TD for the Maize Team. Colston Loveland had two receptions for the Maize Squad for 14 yards. Deakon Tonielli hauled in a 35 yarder in the first quarter for the Maize Team. Marlin Klein led the Blue Team with 4 receptions for 36 yards. Zach Marshall had 3 receptions for 24 yards for the Blue Team. Dale Chesson had 3 receptions for 20 yards, Tyler Morris had 2 receptions for 14 yards, Peyton O'Leary had one reception for 14 yards, Jalen Hoffman had an 11 yard reception, and Max Bredeson had a 6 yard catch for the Blue Team. Semaj Morgan and Hogan Hansen played with no receptions. Other receivers included Brady Prieskorn for the Maize, and Kaleb Schlecht for the Blue.

The Offensive Line for the Maize Team had Dominic Giudice at Center, Evan Link and Nathan Efobi at Guards with Tristan Bounds and Jeff Persi at the tackles; Cole Morgan and James Kavouklis also contributed, but Myles Hinton was limited due to injury. Greg Crippen didn't see action due to injury. The Blue Team had Raheem Anderson, Jake Guarnera, Amir Herring, Blake Frazier, and Andrew Gentry as starters; Josh Priebe and Giovanni El-Hadi didn't play due to injury. Other offensive line contributors included Connor Jones and Peter Simmons.

On Defense, the Maize Team started Josaiah Stewart and T.J. Guy at the Ends with Cameron Brandt, Kenneth Grant, and Enow Etta at the tackles; Jaydon Hood and Ernest Hausmann started at Linebackers with Will Johnson and Jyaire Hill at the cornerbacks, and Max Reyes and Kody Jones at the Safeties. Ja'Den McBurrows came in at Nickel. Kechaun Bennett, Dominic Nichols, Cole Sullivan, Micah Pollard, Hayden Moore, Jacob Oden, Liam Groulx, John Weidenbach, and Chibi Anwunah also played and contributed. Reyes led all tacklers with 6 stops including 5 solos, Kechaun Bennett and Ja'Den McBurrows had 5 tackles each; Bennett had two tackles for loss with one sack. Jyaire Hill, Kody Jones, and Hayden Moore had 4 tackles each; Hill had a pass break up on Peyton O'Leary that would have set up a red zone had it been completed. Cole Sullivan, Dominic Nichols, and Cameron Brandt had 3 tackles each with Brandt credited with a sack. T.J. Guy, Chibi Anwunah, and Jaydon Hood had 2 tackles each with Guy having a sack. Enow Etta, Ernest Hausmann, Keshaun Harris, Jacob Oden, and John Weidenbach had one tackle each; Etta had a quarterback hit.

The Blue Team had Derrick Moore and Tyler McLaurin at the Ends with Ike Iwunnah, Aymeric Koumba, and Mason Graham at the tackles. Jaishawn Barham and Jimmy Rolder started at Linebacker. D.J. Waller and Myles Pollard were the cornerbacks, and Makari Paige and Zeke Berry were at Safety. Other contributors included Joey Klunder, Breeon Ishmail, Christian Boivin, Micah Davis, Nico Andrighetto, Jack Mackinnon, Jeremiah Beasley, Semaj Bridgeman, Jason Hewlett, Joshua Nichols, Joel Metzger, and Alessandro Lorenzetti. The leading tackler was Joey Klunder with 5 tackles including one for loss and 4 solos. Christian Boivin also had 5 stops. Makari Paige, Jimmy Rolder and Micah Davis had 4 tackles; Rolder had two tackles for loss including a sack. D.J. Waller had 3 tackles including a 4th down stop plus an interception; he fumbled on the runback and Freddy Moore recovered. Zeke Berry, Mason Graham, Breeon Ishmail, Ike Iwunnah, and Nico Andrighetto had two tackles each. Aymeric Koumba, Tyler McLaurin, and Jack Mackinnon had one tackle each. Derrick Moore and Jeremiah Beasley had pass break ups, and both Jaishawn Barham and Myles Pollard had quarterback hits.

The Defensive Line will be the strength of the team again this season. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant will be solid in the middle with increased depth with Rayshaun Benny, Cameron Brandt, Trey Pierce, Enow Etta, Ike Iwunnah, and Joey Klunder. Newcomers Deyvid Palepale, Manuel Beigel, and Ted Hammond could also contribute. On the Edge will be Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart with T.J. Guy and Kechaun Bennett expected to split reps. Aymeric Koumba, Breeon Ishmail, Dominic Nichols, and Tyler McLaurin may also contribute. Brandt and Koumba may go inside or outside. Devon Baxter, Lugard Edokapayi, and Owen Wafle will be joining the team in June. The coaches have already offered at least one defensive lineman in the transfer portal.

At Linebacker, replacing two outstanding linebackers, Michael Barrett and Junior Colson, could be a problem. The top candidates include Maryland transfer, Jaishawn Barham, and Nebraska transfer, Andrew Hausmann. Jimmy Rolder and Jaydon Hood could also play significantly. Hayden Moore, Micah Pollard, and early enrollee, Cole Sullivan, could also log significant playing time. Semaj Bridgeman and early enrollee, Jeremiah Beasley, don't look ready to contribute yet. Mason Curtis will join the squad in June. The coaches may try to pull in at least one transfer to help.

In the defensive backfield, both Jyaire Hill and D.J. Waller look ready to start opposite Will Johnson. Keshaun Harris and Myles Pollard will back them up. Ja'Den McBurrows and Zeke Berry are competing for playing time at Nickel. Makari Paige and Quentin Johnson are expected to start at the Safety positions with Brandyn Hillman, Kody Jones, and Jacob Oden backing them up. Max Reyes, Micah Davis, and Nico Andrighetto are solid walk-on players who could also contribute. Newcomers Jo'Ziah Edmond and Jeremiah Lowe will look to impress when they arrive in June. The coaches have contacted at least one cornerback in the transfer portal for help this season.

Our special teams are in capable hands with Tommy Doman as our punter, holder, and kickoff specialist; however, he had an off day in the scrimmage with punting three times for a 31.3 yard average. It looks like Mississippi State transfer, Holden Hollenback, will back him up as kickoff specialist; he had 3 kickoffs for 62.7 yard average including 2 touchbacks. Adam Samaha wasn't very impressive as our replacement for James Turner; he didn't look good in practice prior to the scrimmage, and only hit one of two from 30 and 31 yards during the game. Charlie Mentzer also kicked an extra point for the Blue Team. The coaches will be hard-pressed to secure a dependable placekicker off the transfer portal. Redshirt Freshmen, Cordell Jones-McNally and Stone Anderson also debuted in kickoffs during the scrimmage. Greg Tarr handled the snapping duties for both teams in the scrimmage, and Will Wagner is also supposed to be back this season.

Overall, although as always many players couldn't contribute due to injury, the squad has significant issues offensively; those issues won't be easily or quickly fixed. The team faces its toughest schedule in its history, and it doesn't resemble a championship squad offensively.

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Spring Scrimmage 2022

Spring Scrimmage April 10, 2021, 22-10

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Spring Game 2019

Spring Game Cancelled in 2018

Spring Scrimmage 2017

Spring Scrimmage 2016

Spring Scrimmage 2015

Spring Scrimmage 2014

Spring Scrimmage 2012

Spring Scrimmage 2011

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