What they're saying about Michigan's 2022 spring game

Michigan Wolverines football’s 2022 Maize vs. Blue spring game is in the books. It was a competitive game that came down to a final possession by the Maize, but the Blue prevailed, 20-12. Plenty of young talent was on display, and it was a great opportunity for fans and media to get a little glimpse into what this team could look like this fall.

Here’s a look around the internet at what they’re saying about Michigan’s spring game.

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EJ Holland, The Wolverine: From The Field: Five Michigan spring game thoughts

The coaching staff jelled quickly last year, which played a big role in Michigan’s success. While there were changes, I saw a staff full of energy. Whether it was Mike Hart arguing over pass interference called by Jim Harbaugh or Ron Bellamy jumping around with the guys or Mike Elston pumping up the entire defense or even Matt Weiss smiling and getting animated during timeouts, this coaching staff was energetic and vibrant throughout the entire afternoon. And the players fed off it as well. If you watched the game, you saw the friendly trash talk and the celebrations after scores.

That ‘family feel’ is back at Michigan this offseason. With an advantageous schedule and a good amount of starters coming back, this team is poised to head into the ‘Shoe with an undefeated record and a chance to win the Big Ten title.

Chris Balas, The Wolverine: Michigan Blue 20, Michigan Maize 12: Notes, quotes & observations

It was spirited, there was jawing back and forth and there were plays being made on both sides. When it ended with the Maize team driving but running out of time, the Blue’s Mike Morris slid to the ground in front of the Maize bench, posed for pictures with his teammates and got an earful from the guys who will be eating hot dogs tonight (the Blue gets steak after their victory). 

It was reminiscent of one of the games several decades ago that ended with a potential game-winning field goal that hit the crossbar before bouncing back, securing victory for one of the squads. The winners poured on to the field and celebrated like they’d won a title in April.

Flat out, it was fun, and you could feel it. 

But that wasn’t the only similarity. There was a lot of pride on the field, and purpose in the position battles. Guys weren’t going through the motions. They were handling their responsibilities, looked invested and serious — just as you’d expect from a Big Ten championship squad returning plenty of talent. 

That wasn’t a mistake, redshirt sophomore quarterback Cade McNamara said. Though he wasn’t at his best — he played for both squads and engineered four drives, all four ending in punts — by all accounts, he had a very good spring and secured himself as one of the team’s leaders. 

As he noted, he returned as a Big Ten championship quarterback. Getting to the top is hard — staying there is harder, and it takes a certain mindset. It’s one of high standards, one of the reasons McNamara chose to eat hot dogs instead of steak though he played for both teams with J.J. McCarthy sidelined. 

“I told myself that if I didn’t score two touchdowns, I’m eating a glizzy [hot dog],” he said with a grin. “So, it looks like I’m eating glizzies.”

That’s leadership. And though they’re still waiting to see who takes that role on defense, it’s clear the culture is intact. 

Austin Meek, The Athletic: Michigan football observations: 9 players and 1 visitor who stood out in the Wolverines’ spring game

Edge Derrick Moore and defensive tackle Mason Graham

Physically, those two freshmen stood out as early enrollees who look like they had a full year in a college strength program. At 6-4 and 250 pounds, Derrick Moore has the look of a star in the making. It’s obvious why the Wolverines were so eager to lock him up after he decommitted from Oklahoma.

Mason Graham was an underrated prospect at the time he committed to Michigan, and even though he climbed to [No. 304 nationally in the On3 Consensus], that still may be too low. He was a dominant player at Servite High School in Anaheim, Calif., and has great size at 6-3 and 292 pounds. He’s going to put pressure on Michigan’s second-year defensive tackles, a group that includes Rayshaun Benny, Ike Iwunnah and George Rooks.

Michigan is a bit light on experience at the edge and interior defensive line spots, but there’s some impressive talent in the pipeline coming in a year or two.

Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports: Michigan spring game takeaways: Young talent shows up on offense, questions remain along defensive line

Michigan struggled with having enough offensive skill talent during its Big Ten championship season, but there are some bright spots on the horizon. 

At receiver, early enrollee Darrius Clemons looked like the total package. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound pass-catcher caught three balls for 52 yards, including a beautiful 35-yard touchdown that brought fellow wideout Ronnie Bell to his feet. Clemons was targeted 10 times and would have had even more production with some better passes. 

At running back, the Blue Team leaned on Tavierre Dunlap with strong results. Dunlap rushed 18 times in the victory and, combined with Blake Corum, could quickly become one of Michigan’s top running backs. 

Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press: Why Michigan football’s spring game was Jim Harbaugh’s fantasy come to life

Perhaps this glorified scrimmage was all just a perfect illusion dreamed up by Harbaugh — clear enough so a layman’s eye could recognize this was still Michigan football but also sufficiently hazy to obscure the details about the actual team and what it may look like come this fall.

Starting offensive linemen were interspersed with backups. The combinations of tight ends and receivers were jumbled. On defense, there was similar mixing and matching. The scrambled personnel rendered it virtually impossible to derive any concrete conclusions.

It was just how the famously secretive Harbaugh wanted it: vague by design.

“You don’t want to show too much, right?” running back Blake Corum said.

That’s exactly right, McNamara said minutes later.

“I mean, we’re not trying to show anything,” McNamara said. “We’re just trying to get some dudes reps.”

They did so in the way Jim Harbaugh preferred.

The offenses on both sides, as Michigan is prone to do, lined up in heavy sets and spent the majority of the game pounding away at the opposing defensive fronts. In an exhibition where there were no stakes, 63 runs were called and 58 passes thrown.

Angelique Chengelis, The Detroit News: Michigan football: Three things we learned from Saturday’s spring game

The spring game was an opportunity, as McNamara said, “for dudes to get reps,” and while some of what transpired can be taken with a grain of salt, one thing that stood out was the intensity with which they played.

These players have said all spring that they’re not going to allow last season’s success to be a fluke, and they understand what it takes from a leadership perspective as well as skill.

Defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, who appears destined to have a strong season, sacked Alan Bowman and was fired up. He extended his arms wide and celebrated, and Harbaugh, standing behind him on the field, gave him a hug and patted him atop his helmet.

“It’s a work in progress, but it felt good to be back,” Corum said. “This team is picking up right where we left off. We put in the work in the offseason. This whole camp, we’ve been stacking those bricks. Where we’re at right now, we’re in the strongest spot, but we have work to do.”

Michigan has a final practice on Monday then offseason conditioning. Corum called the next few months “huge” before returning for preseason camp.

“We’re going to have a great product to show everyone,” Corum said.

Michael Cohen, Detroit Free Press: Observations From Michigan Football Spring Game

The surprising departure of defensive tackle Christopher Hinton, who declared for the NFL draft shortly after the Orange Bowl, left the Wolverines searching for a third replacement in the trenches. Nose tackle Mazi Smith is the only returning starter from a front four that featured Hinton and edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo last season.  

Junior Kris Jenkins, who has been praised by teammates and coaches in recent weeks, took another step toward claiming Hinton’s former spot with a strong showing. Jenkins proved stout against the run by tackling third-string running back Tavierre Dunlap for gains of one yard and two yards on consecutive plays. He added a seven-yard sack of Bowman in the second half that produced a friendly exchange of words with Harbaugh, who watched the game from a referee-like vantage point on the field.  

Jenkins finished with four tackles, all solo. Sophomore defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny, a former top-200 overall recruit, also performed well and made several nice plays against the run. He had six tackles, three solo.