Best and worst from Michigan football's 2024 spring game
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football held its annual spring game Saturday at The Big House, with the maize team beating the blue squad, 17-7. Here are the best and worst from the intrasquad scrimmage.
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Best throw
Michigan senior quarterback Davis Warren found sophomore wide receiver Kendrick Bell for a 42-yard touchdown to give the maize a 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, and it was on a nicely-thrown ball. Bell was open enough to where Warren could put loft on it so he didn’t overthrow him, and Bell was able to snag it out of the air in the end zone.
Best run
There were a few nice runs in this one — 10 different players recorded rush attempts — but the most impressive came on an 18-yard scramble for a touchdown by junior signal-caller Alex Orji.
The 6-foot-3, 236-pounder faked a handoff to senior running back Donovan Edwards and rolled to his right. He looked to throw, dodged a defender (senior EDGE Kechaun Bennett) and then decided to run. Junior tight end Marlin Klein, who was running a route, turned into a blocker and pancaked a defender. Orji did the rest by barreling into the end zone.
Worst call
Orji dropped back and was sacked on 4th and 1 from from the maize 4-yard line with under two minutes to play. Turnover on downs.
Except, Orji — wearing a white jersey like the rest of the quarterbacks — wasn’t actually sacked. Sophomore linebacker Hayden Moore only tagged off on him, as he was supposed to. But he wasn’t in position to make the play and wouldn’t have dragged Orji to the ground had the quarterback been live. Orji ran to the end zone but it was ruled a sack.
The play and ruling actually speak to the larger point that Orji’s game isn’t made for the spring game, even though he did have a good day. He’s made for live football, which we’ll see this fall.
Best freshman
Michigan’s early enrollee freshmen saw the field, but only quarterback Jadyn Davis actually had an impact. He was calm and confident, finishing 2-of-4 passing for 20 yards with a 12-yard long. He was also sacked once. Davis didn’t do anything that was overly impressive, but it’s evident that he’s a skilled passer with a bright future.
Davis’ 2 completions were an 8-yard connection with junior wide receiver Tyler Morris and a 12-yard hookup with Klein.
Linebacker Cole Sullivan also contributed with 3 tackles, while safety Jacob Oden saved a touchdown by taking down Klein in the open field.
Worst sequence
Michigan junior quarterback Jayden Denegal struggled during his opportunity in the third quarter. He was 0-for-4 passing with an interception on a poorly-thrown football, with sophomore corner DJ Waller Jr. coming away with the pick. On his team’s next drive, he was also nearly picked off again on an errant throw that freshman linebacker Jeremiah Beasley could’ve hauled in.
Surprise player that flashed: Offense
Bell, who converted from quarterback to receiver last season, was one of the surprise players on offense. He had a large role at wide receiver — a not-so-deep position group that Michigan is looking to add to — playing both outside and in the slot.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder has definitely improved his strength and moves more fluid than he did when watching him in warmups last season. He caught the aforementioned touchdown pass and also had another grab for 11 yards.
As is the case with every spring game across the country, it’s always hard to tell if a play is impressive or a disappointment. When a receiver makes a play, typically a defensive back has a miscue, for one example. In the case of Bell’s touchdown, he beat walk-on defensive back Joshua Nichols, who won’t see significant time this coming season.
Surprise player that flashed: Defense
There were plenty of Michigan defenders who played well, but one who has garnered almost no mentions by teammates and coaches over the last two years had a solid outing — sophomore EDGE Breeon Ishmail.
Ishmail — a 6-foot-3, 262-pounder out of Hamilton, Ohio — came flying like a bat out of hell off the edge to blow up a 1st and 10 run by senior running back Tavierre Dunlap for a loss of 3 yards. On the next play, he absolutely worked sophomore left guard Nathan Efobi and got in the face of Denegal as he was throwing. The pass could’ve been intercepted by Beasley but was dropped.
In addition, Ishmail may have been held by Efobi on Warren’s second touchdown pass of the day, a 48-yard touchdown in which sophomore wideout Fredrick Moore out-ran the entire blue team defense.
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Playmakers
Michigan fans were treated to just a small dose of the team’s top headliners such as senior running back Donovan Edwards, junior cornerback Will Johnson, junior defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, senior EDGE Josaiah Stewart, junior EDGE Derrick Moore and others. And that’s understandable, with the coaching staff seeking to limit the chance any of their key playmakers get hurt.
But there were still some nice splash plays by others who will contribute — guys that aren’t in the ‘surprise’ category like Ishmail and Bell since they are slated to have big roles this fall.
First, in the defensive backfield: Michigan junior safety Zeke Berry was an absolute force, with 2 tackles including 1 for loss. He was constantly around the football. Senior corner / nickel back Ja’Den McBurrows also had a day, with 5 tackles including 1 for loss and tight coverage.
Klein also impressed, with a game-high 4 catches for 36 yards, including a 23-yarder. He also had some nice blocks. Michigan tight ends coach Steve Casula said last week that he’s viewed as ‘starter-level.’
Senior EDGE TJ Guy is in the two-deep and showed why. He finished with a tag-off sack as part of his 2 tackles. His was the first sack of the game and came on Davis.
Moore flashed his playmaking ability at wide receiver, with the 48-yard touchdown catch and run, and he ran great routes, as advertised. He finished with 2 grabs for a game-high 76 yards and the score.
Moore’s touchdown showed his great feel for the game. He ran an out-route but the play turned into a scramble drill, and Warren found him over the middle, where there was a ton of green grass.
Position group that benefitted
The tight ends really benefitted from the spring game, and Michigan offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell said afterward that the position will have a big role on the offense this season.
That was obvious even without Campbell saying it, with the tight ends catching 12 of the 23 completed passes in the scrimmage. In addition to Klein’s production, junior Colston Loveland had 2 grabs for 14 yards. Sophomore Deakon Tonielli had a nice 35-yard reception (with 23 of the yards coming after the catch), and classmate Zack Marshall also getting involved with 3 receptions for 24 yards.
Left us wanting more
Michigan sophomore running back Cole Cabana was banged up at one point during spring practices, but he played Saturday. He just didn’t touch the ball, surprisingly. The speedster is a player fans have been excited to see.
It’s not that Dunlap or others didn’t deserve their opportunity, but the senior ran a game-high 15 times, averaging 4.1 yards a pop. He had his shot, and it would’ve been nice to see Cabana get his, too (assuming he was healthy).
Best celebration
We’ll leave you with the top celebration of the day.
