Previously: offense.

A word about format

This seems to happen in year three or four every time: after a brief introductory burst of spring game optimism the thing degrades until it's the barely-tolerated Lloyd-era relic. Remember Harbaugh's first spring game? The one that came down to a contested two-point conversion that got reviewed on the scoreboard?

…the white team poured onto the field like they'd just won the Super Bowl and blue team coach Chris Partridge roared off the sideline to have a Harbaugh-level conniption fit at the ref.

A couple other coaches reacted similarly, if not as dramatically, as Partridge; the white team organized at midfield for a photo. Wyatt Shallman headbanged like there was no tomorrow. Drake Johnson collapsed in a heap.

I tweeted to Ace that he should title the recap "Controversial finish mars Spring Game ending,"* because that was funny. It's only funny because it's kind of true.

This is a different thing now. Last year's team was good but it was still caught between being a program that apologizes for a tent stake and a program whose DGAF levels are off the charts. Judging from the reactions of everyone involved on both sides, the all-competition-all-the-time ethos has sunk in. That more than anything else makes me anticipate the upcoming season.

There were rappists! We got pictures of them:

My rap name is Medium Wayne. Dunno what this guy's rap name is. Steve? [Eric Upchurch]

This year we kicked off with 20 minutes of drills. There was a 12 minute halftime in which nothing happened. Score was not kept. I don't know how it ended because after three hours and change I saw Not Cade McNamara come out and decided that I'd had all the data I was going to get. Last year's spring game was flat-out cancelled instead of being moved a day or a week.

I'm pretty used to Michigan football going out of its way to be unfriendly to its fans but… yikes. When your spring game is untelevisable that says something. Do you know the things they put on TV these days? There's a show called "God Friended Me"! They'll put anything on. But not Michigan's spring game type substance.

Long way from the early days of Harbaugh to this place where douchy guys buy messages to fly over the stadium. And find some way to televise hockey FFS.

[After THE JUMP: I have concerns]

Remain calm?

This was not previous spring games where the offense did zilch because they had wolves at their door on every play, but the defense held its own decently. And the nominal starting defense that was put out there was missing several key components. They were down Josh Ross and Lavert Hill, likely to be the best players at LB and CB. Likely DT starter Mike Dwumfour participated in drill but not the scrimmage. CMU transfer Mike Danna, the likely starting WDE, is not enrolled yet.

But when you strip Nico Collins and DPJ away from the offense you've got Martin, Bell, Black, and Sainristil looking capable. Yoink those defensive players and certain spots look hairy.

Defensive line

Shaun Nua might have some more side eye moments this year [Barron]

Defensive end is going to be fine as long as Mike Danna translates reasonably well. His out of this world PFF grades were largely against MAC competition and they appear to grade like I do, so they're not opponent-adjusted. But lower leagues occasionally spit out a dude at any competition level and Danna has the profile of one.

That should push Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson into the anchor spot together with Josh Uche and—fingers crossed—Luiji Vilain backing up Danna. I have some concerns about Paye's pass rush, but that's a solid two-deep with no freshmen and many established contributors.

FWIW, Michigan only used Uche as a passing-down linebacker and only deployed three-man lines on passing downs.

As far as the individual performers, no one stood out in a Hurst fashion. This is in part because the OL wasn't giving anyone a free pass into the backfield. Closer inspection of many spectacular DL plays from past spring games has revealed a guy who simply wasn't blocked. When that doesn't happen you have to earn it, and they didn't really. The occasional pressure the offense suffered was almost always delivered by a blitz.

Hutchinson did give Mayfield the business in drill time. FWIW. Hutchinson flashed talent as a true freshman and should make a big leap forward in year two. Paye may also have an ignite button to press. There are enough bullets in the chamber here to expect a hit.

Michigan might have to play a true FR like Mazi Smith (#58) [Fuller]

Defensive tackle… well. I focused on Donovan Jeter intermittently. He was able to survive against Ruiz/Bredeson/Onwenu. This is an accomplishment; several Big Ten DLs are going to get clonked by those guys this fall. Jeter was limited to holding up against the run and occupying blockers against the pass, though. He was more of a Mone space-eater type than a penetration threat. He's the nose tackle here:

Shea --> Ronnie Bell from the shotgun; nice pass completion. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/nnXgwfEbkL

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 13, 2019

This was a little better as the DT to the bottom of the screen; he's able to drive the pocket a little and might get a PBU on a different pass.

Hello, Mike Sainristil! @MikeSainristil pic.twitter.com/qKe4Os4oYo

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 13, 2019

Maybe he's able to push the pocket more against dudes under 350 pounds, but I don't see a bunch of TFLs in his future.

So the situation at DT is probably this:

• Jeter and Carlo Kemp, two guys who are fine against the run and offer next to no pass rush.
• Mike Dwumfour, who's potentially in the Hurst vein as a rusher but got knocked on his ass on every other run play last year.
• True freshmen and a converted fullback.

Maybe one of the three veterans takes a leap and becomes a complete player, maybe one of the freshmen is immediately ready to be a rotation piece. Maybe neither of those things happen and things get gross.

I made a comparison between the seven man DL class of two years ago and Hoke's giant bust of a six-man OL class that drew some objection because Michigan does look like they'll get a player or two out of it. They will indeed, but the situation Michigan is left in is the same: shorthanded and looking towards true freshmen to stem the bleeding. That class:

• Corey Malone-Hatcher medically retired more or less on arrival.
• Aubrey Solomon, Deron Irving-Bey, and James Hudson transferred.
• Luiji Vilain spent his first two years injured and is only now getting back healthy.
• Phil Paea bounced from DL to OL and back to DL and only got walk-on time in the scrimmage.
• Jeter and Paye are tracking as contributors.

Not quite as bad as the Hoke disaster OL class, which got one season of starting time from Patrick Kugler and was otherwise a total washout. But the overall picture is similar. Hudson is particularly frustrating because while moving him to OL made all the sense in the world at the time he had a great Willie-Henry-ish senior year as a DL and would certainly have gotten enough time to keep him engaged at DT.

Anyway. Time to make chicken salad.

Linebacker

Gil: still Gil [Fuller]

With Ross out, Jordan Anthony got the snaps with the ones next to Devin Gil and looked like a reasonable Devin Bush facsimile. He had a sack on a blitz up the middle that got home in a flash and was close to a couple more. Gil looked like Gil. Maybe a little more decisive, but it was hard to tell with the DTs getting pushed back a bit on many plays.

Cam McGrone played a fair amount with the twos but lasted deep into walk-on time. Hard not to take that as a sign that he's not as close to a breakthrough as I'd hoped. He did have a few nice plays sprinkled in there; he had some productive edge rushes… or edge rushes that would have been productive if the DTs were able to collapse the pocket more.

At viper, Hudson is Hudson and Glasgow is Glasgow. The interesting guy there is redshirt freshman Michael Barrett, who was a thumping presence when he entered. Walk-on time was more live contact than the rest of the scrimmage. Barrett took advantage of that to deliver a series of zero-YAC hits.

Coverage is an open question with him. His interception of Milton was a perfectly fine zone drop that Milton did not see. I'm not sure if he can carry TEs down the seam and the like. Hudson and Glasgow look like safeties. Barrett looks like a linebacker. It was in fact really easy to get Barrett and Uche mixed up because they're both #6 and at first glance are not obviously dissimilar body types. Barrett was already listed at 224 last year, which points more towards MLB than viper if any pounds get added.

With the two seniors in front of him Barrett's time is going to be limited; he's the slight leader to take the reins at viper next year.

Cornerback

Another spot where Michigan's lack of depth is a little worrying. Lavert Hill and Ambry Thomas should be one of the better starting pairs in the league and maybe the nation. In Hill's absence, though, Vincent Gray got pushed into the starting lineup. He's the guy who got torched by Martin on the called-back TD, and that jam whiff was comprehensive:

Gemon Green's time was most notable for getting dusted by Black…

[Bryan Fuller]

…and Myles Sims, the top-ranked CB from last year's class, was not even dressed. Jalen Perry, the early-enrolled four star in this year's class, got dusted a couple times himself.

I'm probably paranoid about third corners because of last year's Ohio State game, but… last year's Ohio State game. It doesn't look like Michigan is going to be able to field a third CB who's in the same range as Hill and Thomas athletically, unless they just say "screw it" and go with Dax Hill there and bring in a safety as their fifth DB.

About that…

Safety

second team D: walk-on Tyler Cochran at safety [Barron]

In a word: disconcerting. Josh Metellus is established as a pretty good Big Ten player so spring game data is to be taken with a grain of salt; still a bit ominous that he overran crossing routes twice to turn modest gains into big ones. With Kelly-Powell's move to corner the contenders to keep Dax Hill's seat warm were J'Marick Woods, Brad Hawkins, and walk-ons. Sammy Faustin did not make an appearance and IIRC neither did German Green.

Tyler Cochran, pictured above, and fellow walk-on Hunter Reynolds appeared to be the second string safety pairing. Reynolds has been garnering a little chatter inside the program, and he's a two-time scout team player of the year, so maybe he's a find. One walk-on can be fine. Two is alarming.

Other ominous things included a total lack of over the top help on several different deep balls and Hawkins lining up as a man-to-man slot defender. He was in the same outside leverage that Michigan used last year, outside leverage that was required to prevent getting slot fades on their face, and outside leverage that limited Devin Bush's rush opportunities. In an ideal world Hill shows up and can immediately play over the slot, straight up.

Special Teams Note

There was no punting but there were a lot of field goals both in the game and a special post-halftime field-goal throwdown that started at XP length and went out to 60-yarders. Every field goal in the game and every one in the FG-off was good until the 60-yarders. Both Moody and Nordin left theirs two or three yards short.

It's Moody's job until he misses a few. #collegekickers and all that but Michigan seems to have an excellent situation there.