5 storylines to follow as spring ball starts for Michigan football

Following its first national championship in 26 years, the Michigan football team will hit the practice field on Monday for the first time this spring.

It will be the first spring practice for the Wolverines under new head coach Sherrone Moore and there will be a slight cloud hanging over the program as defensive line coach Greg Scruggs is on suspension, following an arrest on Saturday morning.

That was the last thing Michigan football needed. More turmoil isn’t what the coaching staff needed. It’s a distraction and something you worry about from a player retention perspective.

For now though, it’s just exciting to think about Michigan football back on the field. As with Jim Harbaugh, I don’t expect a ton of access. There should be some snippets and reports. We’ll follow and pass along as much as we can over the next few weeks, but here are five storylines for Michigan spring football.

The 5-way QB battle

The five-star quarterback battle starts on Monday. Kirk Campbell said the Wolverines would start the reps based on age and go from there, meaning Jack Tuttle will get the first steps as a graduate.

Tuttle is a dark horse in this quarterback race. So is Davis Warren. Many expect Michigan football to grab a transfer this spring, but I’ve been warning, that’s not a sure thing. Right now, there isn’t a player worth adding in the portal, and no guarantee one will enter.

Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji are the two I’m watching closely. If Orji can progress with his arm, I feel like he has the chance to be the most successful this season. Tuttle could play the Cade McNamara role, which would also allow Michigan football to game-plan some stuff from Orji, as they did last season.

My bet is that the Orji package would be much different and even if he’s not the starting quarterback, I expect to see plenty of QB runs from the freakish athlete playing quarterback in 2024.

The next few weeks could determine if Michigan football needs a transfer quarterback, or not, and that’s the most important thing to watch with the Wolverines right now.

Offensive line development

Michigan football lost six offensive linemen to the NFL. It bears repeating because it’s impressive. It’s also going to be a challenge to replace all that talent.

The good news is that the Wolverines are loaded. Guys like Greg Crippen and Giovanni El-Hadi have been biding their time. I have zero concern about them starting at guard and center. Josh Priebe is coming over as an All-Big Ten selection at guard from Northwestern, plus Myles Hinton, the expected starter at left tackle, has “first-round pick potential” according to Michigan OC Kirk Campbell.

There is a battle for the other tackle job and guys like Jeffrey Persi, Andrew Genry, and Tristan Bounds could all be in the mix. Yet, even with all the departures, this should be a strength of the team once again.

How does defense mesh with Wink Martindale?

Wink has said all the right things. He even called Rod Moore one of the best safeties he’s ever coached comparing him to Eric Weddle. However, the most encouraging thing I got out of his interview last week, was players coming into coaching meetings. The guys that returned to Michigan football want to win another national championship.

Moore allowed them to sit in on the interview with Wink and so far, the response seems great. They’ll start to get an idea of what the defense will look like, but since Wink is the “The OG” of the scheme Michigan football has been running, the transition should be smooth.

It needs to be. Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant will be pursued in the portal, along with others in the spring window and Martindale needs these guys to know they’re in good hands so that doesn’t happen. Yet, Wink said he tends to be even more aggressive than Jesse Minter, and players tend to love that approach.

Which players break out?

There are always guys that turn heads in the spring, although, that doesn’t always translate to production in the fall. Still, it will be interesting to see who is getting talked about in the coming weeks.

My hope is that the Michigan football quarterbacks generate some buzz. I’ve got my eye on the wide receivers and the secondary though. Michigan needs depth to emerge at EDGE, offensive line, linebacker, and tight end, but they are pretty solid at those spots.

The secondary could use some reinforcements in the transfer portal, but not if some of the younger guys like Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill, Brandyn Hillman, DJ Waller, and Myles Pollard step up spring, along with Ja’Den McBurrows who could lock down a starting role.

Receiver has been talked about as a need in the portal too. Semaj Morgan, Tyler Morris, Fredrick Moore, and Karmello English could quiet that talk, and they are pass catchers to keep an eye on this spring, along with all the tight ends behind Colston Loveland. There is a ton of potential there.

Sherrone Moore’s first spring ball

This is the first spring for Sherron Moore and the first time he really takes the reins on the field. It will be interesting to see the format he uses for the spring game. I expect there will be a similar feel within the program but Sherrone is going to put his stamp on things, he already has from a recruiting perspective.

The Wolverines need to be aggressive on the trail and they need some commitments. Alabama has been raking them in and Michigan football needs some momentum.

Most importantly though, Moore needs to prove to the team he’s up to the task. He’s the biggest reason Michigan has retained most of its roster, so I believe he will. Moore is going to be a star, but it’s still interesting to see how things operate in his first spring ball as head coach.