Dusty May didn't waste time securing his first HS commitment as Michigan's leading man, as Justin Pippen pledged to the Wolverines today. This is a nice pickup given how late in the cycle May came to Ann Arbor in tandem with an extremely small pool of available HS prospects. 

GURU RANKINGS

247 is the most bullish on Pippen, placing him just outside the top 60. Rivals essentially concurs with the national standing, slotting him top-75 in their most recent rankings update. On3 and ESPN are a bit lower on Justin, as they both go with what amounts to a 100-150 ranking. There is  consensus in terms of size, as all services agree on 6'3 and 180 pounds.

I have no basis for ranking any individual in the 2024 class, as I haven't seen enough of those prospects to have an informed opinion. But from a holistic perspective across years, I'd likely lean toward On3 's take here. Pippen has the look of a kid you typically see in that 100-125 range. Admittedly though, the distinction between 60 and 125 is nearly moot these days, so I'm not sure it matters functionally. 

SCOUTING

Though I have sifted through full-game film, I have not evaluated Justin Pippen live. As someone that has scouted professionally for years, multiple live viewings always generate the most informed evals, so caveats apply and my word is certainly not gospel here. With that out of the way, let's get into it.

First and foremost, Pippen is a perimeter shotmaker with legit range. The shot mechanics are very good, with superb balance and nice arc. Justin isn't restricted to stationary shooting, as he knocks down jumpers via pull-ups from midrange and distance with some regularity. From an evaluation/projection perspective, the fact that he maintains excellent balance on the pull-up attempts is really enticing. There is almost zero unnecessary motion and he nearly lands in the identical spot of the initial elevation. 

[After THE JUMP: the full scouting report]

The reigning National Champions of college football, the Michigan Wolverines, play their nationally-televised spring game tomorrow. It will begin at noon EST and will be broadcast on Fox, just as Ohio State's was a week ago. As always, the spring game is a first glimpse of the upcoming season's team, a small "pulling back the curtain" moment of sorts that offers small clues into the progress of spring practice and the depth chart. The score outcome of the game is irrelevant so for this preview we've got seven storylines to watch for tomorrow, as we've detailed each of the last two spring games: 

1.) Do we have a viable QB?

Far and away the #1 storyline going into the spring game is the question that has dominated offseason discussions since the moment JJ McCarthy put his name in the NFL Draft in mid-January... who is Michigan's quarterback in 2024? We probably won't get the decisive answer in the spring game, but we'll get a much better idea of what's going on based on how the respective QBs perform. The clubhouse leader at this point in time seems to be Alex Orji, but reports of his spring practice have been somewhat up and down. We've seldom seen Orji throw the ball in his time at Michigan, so that alone will be of much interest. How does his accuracy look? Can he avoid the "big mistake" throw? 

Beyond that, the other QBs are a jumble. Jack Tuttle has been out this spring, but Jayden Denegal, Davis Warren, and true freshman Jadyn Davis will be on display. Denegal seemed to get off to a slow start to spring but may have improved recently, though the sense is that Orji is still ahead. Warren has been a spring game staple for a couple seasons now but his flashes in this event haven't really translated to regulation game garbage time action. As for Davis, it doesn't seem like he will be the starter in 2024 due to his age/lack of experience (for good reason), but this will be our first chance to see the prized recruit in action. 

The performance of the QBs will inevitably elicit hot takes because that's the way it goes, but the biggest focus should be on whether any of the candidates seem like viable B1G starters. If they don't, then Michigan should go to the portal and look to find an acceptable option. In other words, if Alex Orji wants to be The Guy for Michigan this season, a strong, confident performance in the spring game would go a long way to calming our nerves and shoring things up with the coaching staff. 

[Patrick Barron]

2.) The wide receiver situation 

Another point of conversation in spring practice is the status of the receiver room. Cristian Dixon hit the portal this week (though he may have been playing defense recently), continuing an offseason of attrition at the WR and TE positions. Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson declared for the NFL Draft, while Dixon, Eamon Dennis, Karmello English, and Darrius Clemons hit the portal at the WR position. When you factor in the previous offseason's exit of Andrel Anthony to the portal, there's nothing left at the position from the 2021 recruiting class or earlier. 

That means the WR room is pretty thin, Semaj Morgan and Tyler Morris being somewhat known commodities as the starters and then Fred Moore the next in line. Peyton O'Leary is still hanging around, but after that... *crickets* before you get into the true freshmen. The problems here are two-fold, unproven starters (Morris and Morgan are still pretty green) and a complete lack of depth. Michigan is almost certainly going to look in the portal for WR help after spring practice, given that they were looking aggressively in the winter portal (just didn't land anyone), but there's a big difference between going into the portal looking for a star and looking for depth. They'll definitely go into the portal for the latter, but if Morgan and Morris have good showings and Moore balls out in the spring game, maybe you feel more like there's a need to shore up depth rather than a plug-and-play starter. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: Five more storylines]

Offense was yesterday. That has an explainer for the faces.

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Defensive Line

Trying Etta at tackle is good for Etta, bad for the other tackles. [David Wilcomes] 

The question we're asking is: Got any depth?

But they're acting like it's: Do we need any?

What are we hearing? We don't need much talk about the starters except reminders that they're awesome. Jaydon Hood noted they keep terking his jerb.

There's times where I might have a gap, and they might wreck it. Sometimes it's fun. It really is. Just let them work. Either they're going to get it or I'm going to clean up after them.

Probably more fun in a game than when you're trying to win the third LB job. Speaking backups, Rayshaun Benny should be back by fall camp, says Lou Esposito. Trey Pierce, our other backup tackle, was seen on crutches. It doesn't sound too serious if you ask Espo.

He's done a great job. [Since] I got to come here, he's practiced a couple times, he got dinged up a little bit. He's come back and got dinged back up. But he's really progressing. I think the biggest thing for Trey was just realizing what he can do. … He's a sponge. He's been around almost two or three times a week with me one-on-one so he's done a great job. I expect him to have a good fall, and we need him to have a good fall. We've got to build that depth.

In their absence the third team DTs have been getting more run, and edge Enow Etta, listed at 6-4/292, has been asked to try playing inside. Etta needs time to adjust, says Espo:

He's a really, really good athlete. It's just that he has to learn. As you get closer to the ball, the hand combat becomes quicker. It gets on you faster. The further away from the ball, it kind of takes a little bit of time and you can use your athletic ability out there. I think the biggest thing with him is getting some of those inside reps has really helped him on the edge. Now when you put him on the edge, some of the weaknesses that he had he doesn't have anymore in the physicality part. He's been extremely physical all spring, and he's a big part of what we're gonna do moving forward.

An insider thought Etta's "a little too trim" for this. "He's got big legs. No butt though." The only other guy being mentioned by name is the only other scholarship guy recruited to play DT.

I think Ike (Iwunnah) has done a great job this spring for us. He's played a lot of snaps.

It seems they need someone for the Goode role, and are pursuing Kent State DT CJ West for the job. West put up an 85.9 (pro caliber) last year and an 80.1 in 2022. Kent State didn't really play anybody—their FBS non-conf games were UCF and Arkansas—last season but West started against Washington, Oklahoma, and Georgia in 2022, so he's show he can hold up against P5 talent. I'm guessing they don't get involved with back-in-the-portal-again MSU DT Simeon Barrow, nor TCU's Damonic Williams, but those familiar names could help to keep other teams away from West.

As for edge, TJ Guy's name was on the tip of various tongues at Pro Day, adding to a pile of people who see him as the next in line at the DE/LB spot. Esposito's presser was more getting-to-know-you stuff so there wasn't much more to add. An insider said Guy is making it hard to judge the right tackle race because there isn't a substantial drop-off when they get a break from Josiah Stewart.

What it means? It's nice to hear from Ike finally, but they're saying too little for it to sound like he's any more than a warm body at this point. The scholarship name nobody's mentioning is Alessandro Lorenzetti, a 2022 sleeper they bumped over from offensive line when they flipped Giudice to offense. He was always a project, but if it's not happening by spring of Year 3 it's probably not.

It's too bad none of the four DTs in this year's class were able to enroll early, because they'd be getting all sorts of playing time, and we'd have an idea which among them can play. That they've moved Etta doesn't mean much for Etta other than he was willing to do it. It does mean the depth isn't where they need it to be. You can have Grant/Graham soak up more usage, but we're probably looking at a freshman getting in the back end of the rotation, with any injuries graduating that freshman to the two-deep.

Depth Chart: Expecting Michigan to pick up someone in the portal but for now…

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[After THE JUMP: I cannot get insiders to talk about anything but Barham]