Michigan Football takes the field in front of an audience for the first time in calendar 2023 tomorrow, with a pair of teams drawn up from the roster competing in the annual spring game. Last year was a humorous affair, perhaps best remembered for Jim Harbaugh playing the role of referee... I have not seen any indication if that will happen again (Darrius Clemons whipping out the phone was another highlight). Regardless of whether we get any more borderline meme-able moments, there is plenty to learn despite this being coined by some as the most boring spring in recent Michigan Football memory. Just like last season, we've got seven storylines to watch for tomorrow: 

1.) IS AMORION WALKER GOD REINCARNATE?

Perhaps the only "hole" on the roster is at the 2nd outside corner spot after Michigan was unable to keep either Gemon Green or DJ Turner II away from the NFL and then couldn't land their top target in the transfer portal. If you buy the spring chatter, then those results are A-OK because Amorion Walker is the answer we've been looking for. The lanky wide receiver turned corner had interest from Alabama in the recruiting process as a DB, so there is some background, and the program has labeled him an athletic freak (T-Minus five months until Bruce Feldman gets word). Still, we, the viewing public, haven't seen him play much corner in his time at Michigan, a snap here or there last fall but that was it. The spring game will be his big introduction. 

Walker isn't the only corner worth watching, but he's the guy we've heard the most about. Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil have starting spots locked up and then there's a group of players who we went into the offseason wondering about. Walker has emerged as the player getting the hype but I will have my eyes out for Ja'Den McBurrows as well, in addition to Myles Pollard or any other of the young DBs. Michigan's roster is not exactly loaded at WR (more on that later), but there are several strong starters who we have a good reading on; any reps that Walker/McBurrows/Pollard take against Cornelius Johnson or Roman Wilson will be worth paying attention to. 

[Bryan Fuller]

2.) The depth RB rotation

Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards are not likely to play much, if at all (Corum is not available) tomorrow, meaning that we'll get a healthy dose of the reserve RBs and a read out on who could be getting the third and fourth string carries. CJ Stokes enters as the "incumbent", but his usage was greatly limited as a true freshman in 2022. Now with a full offseason to polish his game and get stronger, we'll get a good look at sophomore Stokes and whether he's in line for a larger role in 2023. He's been getting some positive buzz in the spring chatter and while his role will obviously be limited in the regular season with the quality of the two players ahed of him, Stokes has a lot to prove about not just this upcoming season, but his long term future on the RB depth chart with talented players younger than him in the program or on the way. 

The same could be said about Tavierre Dunlap, a back who is a year older than Stokes. After arriving in the 2021 recruiting class as a burlier complement to Edwards, Dunlap has seldom seen the field as a running back at Michigan. He carried the ball seven times over two games in '21 and then got nine carries in '22, appearing on special teams quite a bit more. There hasn't been a lot of momentum for him in his Michigan career and it probably wasn't a great sign that Kalel Mullings was the preferred mooseback when he wasn't needed for LB depth. If Dunlap wants a role in those sorts of situations this season, spring is a good place to start (the same could be said for Stokes too). 

The spring game also represents an opportunity to get a glimpse of freshmen early enrollees Cole Cabana and Benjamin Hall, depending on how much they play (there are rumors that Cabana is injured). Hall is likely in the same bucket as Dunlap in terms of competing for whatever few short yardage opportunities exist this season, though in all likelihood, he will be relegated to garbage time. Cabana could have an AJ Henning style gadget role as a true freshman as a receiver out of the backfield and his usage in the spring game is thus of interest, if Cabana plays (again, don't know if he will). 

[AFTER THE JUMP: More storylines!] 

Remember this one? [Patrick Barron]

3.) The young receiver battle

Michigan returns WRs Cornelius Johnson and Roman Wilson who are locked in to two positions on the offense, but another is up for grabs after veteran Ronnie Bell departs. The future is now for the younger WRs on the depth chart after the team did not acquire any receivers in the transfer portal, so our eyes turn to the likes of Tyler Morris, Darrius Clemons, and Cristian Dixon. Morris is the most logical favorite to take over the role Bell once held due to stylistic similarities in their play, while Clemons profiles more as a bigger outside receiver. Clemons got plenty of hype last spring but it didn't materialize into much as a true freshman, while Morris has been receiving most of the hype this time around. As for Dixon, it has been quiet for the entirety of his Michigan tenure. 

Due to the general belief that Freshman Receivers Suck, I'm not expecting much in year one from the true freshmen but we have heard some nice things about both of the early enrollees at the position, Semaj Morgan and Fredrick Moore. Morgan profiles in the Morris mold as a slot type while Moore is a taller receiver that would make sense on the outside (lot of M last names at receiver). Similar to what I said about the corners, we have a decent sense of the caliber of play some of these receivers will be going up against. Any Sainristil vs. Morris/Morgan snaps or Will Johnson vs. Clemons/Dixon/Moore will have my viewing attention tomorrow. 

[Bryan Fuller]

4.) Hello Josiah Stewart and Stronger Braiden McGregor?

Michigan didn't get a ton of organic pass rush from their defensive ends in 2022 and a lot of it came from Mike Morris, a presence they missed down the stretch of the season after Morris sustained an injury. Now Morris is out of the picture entirely and it's up to the remaining pieces, plus a notable addition, to fill in the gaps. That newcomer is Coastal Carolina transfer Josiah Stewart, who we've heard some nice things about in spring. Tomorrow is our first look at Stewart in a winged helmet and what he could bring to the Maize & Blue this fall. Michigan has obscene depth on the OL, so if Stewart is getting around the edge with any regularity, that's an optimistic indicator. 

Braiden McGregor we have seen before as a rotational edge piece last season. This offseason figured to be a pivotal one and the coaching staff/insiders want you to know that things are going very well. McGregor has been showered with hype and some of it has centered around something this site has discussed with him, which was a previous imbalance in strength between his upper body and lower body related to a severe injury sustained in high school. The chatter is that McGregor is stronger all over and is poised to emerge as a more consistent impact player for Michigan this fall. The spring game will be a chance to see him going up against some solid offensive linemen and provide the tiniest and most preliminary fact-check. 

The remainder of the edge pieces include Jaylen Harrell, who we have a pretty good sense of, and Derrick Moore, who I will also be keeping an eye on. The freshman to sophomore jump should be a sizable one for him, but he hasn't received the same level of hype this offseason that McGregor and Stewart have gotten, so he's listed a little bit lower in this section. These are the big four names at this positional group, but someone like TJ Guy or Tyler McLaurin could raise eyebrows with a good showing on Saturday afternoon. Not something I'm laser-focused on, though. 

[Patrick Barron]

5.) Mason Graham/Kris Jenkins vs. Trevor Keegan/Zak Zinter/Guards Galore

Last spring game preview my #1 point was about the hype being showered on Mazi Smith and questions surrounding the remainder of the defensive line in the aftermath of the exits of David Ojabo, Aidan Hutchinson, and Chris Hinton. This year the man getting the most hype on the defensive line, and possibly the entire team, is Kris Jenkins. Not far behind him, though, is Mason Graham. Both players are being portrayed as superstar level contributors and Jenkins is being cast as the captain of the defense this season. You can't evaluate hype based on limited snaps in a spring game, but hey we've gotta produce content here so it's something to watch. 

The great part about being a good football team is you have great players at every position so you can get a decent reading of the caliber of a player from intra-squad matchups. That was true from the CB/WR battles we detailed earlier and it's true here with DTs vs. IOL. Michigan returns two strong starting guards in Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, both of whom could have easily gone to the NFL Draft, and even the reserve guards are solid players, Gio El-Hadi being the most notable. Any reps between Graham/Jenkins and Keegan/Zinter are must-watch, but those against the backup guards count too. Same could be said for the reserve DTs, Kenneth Grant perhaps being the most interesting to watch but Rayshaun Benny included too. Michigan has some high-level, intriguing players at the DT/IOL spots and watching the competitors go at it will be a dandy to enjoy. 

[Patrick Barron]

6.) You're the man now, Mr. Doman

In a promising sign for how good Michigan Football should be in 2023, the only other sizable hole on the roster is on special teams, where the departures of Jake Moody and Brad Robbins leave quite a bit of uncertainty. With incoming freshman Adam Samaha not arriving until the summer (seems like it wouldn't be too hard to just drive him across town! #sarcasm), right now the favorite to be both the kicker and punter is one Tommy Doman. After enrolling at Michigan for the 2021 season, Doman has marinated sitting behind two elite specialists in the Moody and Robbins tandem. He has only attempted one punt and two XPs (no FGs) in an NCAA regulation game but this season he could be doing them all. The journey to becoming Kenny Allen 2.0 begins tomorrow. There should be plenty of kicking opportunities for Doman to show what he's got, and I suppose I should acknowledge that we may get to see walk-on specialists too, but my attention will be on Doman. 

[David Wilcomes]

7.) The Backup QB Battle

Last season's spring game was a coming out party for Davis Warren, who uncorked deep bombs that still linger in the memory of some Michigan fans. Warren is still around, and with Cade McNamara heading to Iowa and Alan Bowman packing his bags for Oklahoma State, it is Warren who will be dueling Jack Tuttle for the right to backup JJ McCarthy this upcoming Michigan season. Now obviously this is far from a terribly important battle- if Michigan should lose McCarthy for an extended period of time they are in trouble either way- but it is nevertheless a fun storyline to follow and will likely consume a fair bit of the game, given that I expect very limited involvement from McCarthy. JJ will likely get a few snaps to dazzle the fans and show off the arm, but this day will mostly feature the backup QBs. 

Warren and Tuttle have been duking it out this spring and the latest indications seem to be that Tuttle has pulled ahead. Tuttle has one notable aspect on Warren and that is age, a 1999 birthday who has already been in college for five CFB seasons (he committed to Utah during the Obama administration!). Warren is a 2002 birthday and has only been in college for two CFB seasons, so Tuttle has that upper hand but at the end of the day, the play will do the talking. I don't honestly know what to expect from these two, but we'll sure see a lot of them. We'll probably also see second year scholarship QBs Jayden Denegal and Alex Orji, but they have not garnered much discussion and don't seem to be seriously be in discussion for the backup role at this time.