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Injury report: The Wolverines we don't expect to play in Michigan football spring game

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•03/31/23•

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(Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Michigan Wolverines football is holding its annual spring game Saturday at The Big House (3 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network). The intrasquad scrimmage gives fans an opportunity to get a snapshot of the 2023 team as it heads into summer. However, though nothing is official, and this is merely a projection, some top players are not expected to suit up.

Senior running back Blake Corum, of course, is the most notable. The 2022 Heisman Trophy contender underwent surgery on his MCL and meniscus in early December and is still recovering. Head coach Jim Harbaugh said that while he’s been supporting his teammates at every spring practice, he won’t be “full go” until June.

Junior running back Donovan Edwards, too, has been limited. He played with an injured right hand at the end of last season and said he was set for offseason surgery. Those two backs being out will give senior Kalel Mullings, sophomore CJ Stokes, freshman Benjamin Hall and others the opportunity to get more reps.

One that Michigan fans were excited to see, freshman early enrollee running back Cole Cabana — a versatile player who’s also expected to be featured as a pass-catcher — recently shared a photo of his leg in a brace on his Instagram story. The severity of the injury is unknown at this point, but it’s fair to assume players who are banged up will be held out of the spring game.

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The Michigan offensive line will be without two potentially key pieces. Graduate center Drake Nugent and senior tackle Myles Hinton — both Stanford transfer who enrolled early — have each been limited this spring, after undergoing offseason procedures.

Like Cabana, Michigan junior linebacker Junior Colson recently posted a photo of his leg in a cast on his Instagram story. Michigan’s leading tackler from 2022 hasn’t appeared in recent practice photos, either. Sophomore cornerback Will Johnson has been spotted in crutches in both practice pictures and by TheWolverine.com entering Schembechler Hall, and his classmate, Amorion Walker, recently confirmed that he hasn’t been practicing.

In a brief comment this week, Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter shared that neither player is expected to miss any of the Wolverines’ season this fall.

“I expect them both to be out there the first game in September,” Minter said.

There’s also the possibility that Michigan holds out some players, especially veterans, for precautionary reasons. The Maize and Blue were conservative with their approach for the spring game last season, holding out players who had a tweak so that they didn’t further hurt themselves in a game that, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t count in the win or loss column.

Michigan fans will get the chance to see two defensive players who missed all of the 2022 season with injury. Senior linebacker Nikhai Hill-Green and junior cornerback Ja’Den McBurrows have been practicing this spring, each competing at their respective positions.

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