What to look for in Saturday's Michigan football spring game

Michigan football plays its spring game on Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor. It will be the fanbase’s first look behind the scenes of the defending Big Ten Champions’ work in progress.

There are plenty of questions about this year’s team and answers will not come in full form on Saturday. However, it should serve as a good barometer for how productive spring practices have been. This will be session 14 of 15 scheduled practices this spring and the lynchpin event of the offseason cycle.

It will be Team Maize vs. Team Blue with rosters drafted and split up. Here are four overarching things to keep an eye on other than just individual players.

Michigan’s finer details

There is a better chance than not that the game will be an ugly slugfest. That is typically how these types of proceedings go. But what fans should be watching for are the details and fundamentals. How is Mazi Smith’s pad level? How crisp a route is Roman Wilson running? Are cornerbacks turning their heads and properly locating the ball? Spring practices help develop muscle memory so when the fall comes, guys can instinctually make plays.

New faces at all three levels of defense

Michigan is going to need contributors to emerge everywhere on defense to remain one of the best in the Big Ten. The aforementioned Smith projects to be a lynchpin with sophomore linebacker Junior Colson holding things down in the middle. Depth and answers are needed in a lot of other places. Kris Jenkins, Rayshaun Benny and George Rooks should be watched closely on the defensive front. As far as pass rushers go, anyone with a DE/LB designation next to their name will be worth watching. The same goes for any defensive back not named DJ Turner.

New coordinator Jesse Minter will be under the microscope a bit even if the looks will not be as exotic on Saturday. The scheme from last year is mostly remaining intact, but the personnel is different. How the Michigan staff crafts its attack based on its personnel will be something to watch.

A taste of who the stars will be

One would expect Michigan to treat this similar to an NFL preseason game, especially with some notable pieces not out there. J.J. McCarthy is dealing with a shoulder issue and won’t be able to showcase himself. Safety Rod Moore is also out for the spring. There is not much of a reason to risk injury on April 2.

But we will see Cade McNamara, Blake Corum, Donovan Edwards and a bevy of others. How long remains the question, but to get a taste of what they will be able to bring is worth the price of admission alone [Note: the game is free, so you get the point]. Michigan has playmakers all over the field on offense and flexing that depth will be fun to see. Fans will be looking for stars to get excited about before the season starts. With so many wide-open roles on the roster, Saturday is the first shot for many to do that.

How the young players look

When push comes to shove, the extended playing opportunity is most beneficial to the young guys and depth pieces on the roster. Michigan is only an injury away in a few spots – namely defense – on the roster to where young and inexperience takes over. Every rep they get in spring ball is beneficial to a potential emergency situation this fall.

Michigan’s 13 early enrollees will be on display, headlined by five-star cornerback Will Johnson. Johnson is among the few that will be looked at to fill a notable role this year. The waves they make on Saturday can be the fruitful start to a prosperous college experience.

When is the Michigan spring game?

Michigan’s spring game is free for all fans wanting to attend. Doors will open to Michigan Stadium at 11 a.m. ET. The Wolverines will take the field to warm up and go through practice drills around 11:30 a.m.

Big Ten Network will televise the practice and scrimmage live at 12 p.m. The radio broadcast will begin at 11:45 a.m. from The Michigan Sports Network from Learfield on WXYT Radio – 97.1 The Ticket in the Detroit area.

Brandon Gaudin will be on play-by-play for BTN with former Michigan tight end Jake Butt on color commentary. The radio broadcast will be the debut of Doug Karsch as Michigan football’s play-by-play voice with former Wolverine Jon Jansen on color duties.