Practice observer: 'If you closed your eyes, you could hear that Michigan brand of football'

Michigan Wolverines football welcomed in analysts for the BTN training camp tour stop in Ann Arbor Tuesday, opening up practice to the network. The defending national champions have a lot to replace, despite still possessing significant talent on the roster in the first season under head man Sherrone Moore.

The entire offensive line, for example, will be new starters, even though some have starting experience in college football. Jake Butt, a former Michigan tight end who’s now a BTN analyst, shared his observations on the offensive line.

“So today, they weren’t in shoulder pads,” Butt began. “I happened to be here yesterday to see them in full pads, which allowed me to get a better idea of the run game and the physicality. You can close your eyes and hear good football. Yesterday, if you closed your eyes, you could hear that Michigan brand of football.

“The benefit for this offensive line: They’re going against one of the best defensive lines in college football [with junior defensive tackles] Kenneth Grant, Mason Graham. You better be hip to hip, shoulder to shoulder on your double teams. You got [senior] Josaiah Stewart and [junior] Derrick Moore and guys like [senior] TJ Guy coming off the edge. You gotta be locked in.

“It was a battle yesterday. There were a few reps where the offensive line was getting push, they were communicating well up front. And then the defense would respond. And that’s exactly what you want to see at this point in fall camp.”

Gerry DiNardo only saw a non-padded practice, but he noted that the group was moving around well.

“What you could tell today is that they’re very athletic, which isn’t a surprise,” DiNardo said. “They’re gonna be a good offensive line.”

Fellow analyst Howard Griffith agrees.

“I think the offensive line will be just fine,” he said.

Griffith also singled out the Michigan wide receiving corps and junior Tyler Morris in particular as standouts.

“One of the areas they’re going to continue to improve: There will be new names at the wide receiver position,” Griffith said. “Tyler Morris, I think, is set to have a big year, whether it’s catching passes underneath … they can just do so much and be creative with him.”

Junior tight end Colston Loveland will be another focal point for the Michigan offense. Butt, a two-time All-American as a Wolverine, is excited to see what he does this season, after racking up 649 receiving yards a year ago.

“I think he’s their No. 1 weapon,” Butt said. “He’s not just the best tight end in college football, I think he’s their best passing option. And what a great, friendly option for a new quarterback. This guy is about 750 receiving yards from breaking the career record for [tight end] receiving yards. 

“He can and will do it, and I think he’ll have to do it for this passing game. Six targets I think is the minimum [per game].”

“He’ll be able to dictate what defenses are doing when they move him around,” DiNardo added.

Analysts discuss Michigan’s ‘confusing’ defense under Wink Martindale

Coordinator Wink Martindale is calling the shots for the Michigan defense in 2024, and the group has a ton of ability that was on display.

“The high-level talent is extremely impressive,” Butt said. “They potentially have three top-15 picks, maybe three top-10 picks. [Junior cornerback] Will Johnson, I feel confident. Mason Graham, probably the best interior defensive lineman in the country. Kenneth Grant is a guy that’s gonna shock people. We saw flashes last year; he’s gonna be phenomenal.

“And the good thing is the familiarity of the scheme, continuing with that Baltimore Ravens scheme, it’s extremely dangerous.

“But I look at a guy like [junior nickel back] Zeke Berry as a deciding piece of this defense. He’s the one replacing Mike Sainristil last year. You need to be a Swiss Army knife. I think he’s a guy that has to step up.”

The defensive line stands out, and it might just be the strength of the entire team.

“Ultimately, it starts up front, and I’m really confident with the depth that they have on the D-line, that they’re going to be able to really create some problems for people,” Griffith explained. “Their strength and their ability … they’re so quick off the ball. Hand placement, I really like the way they work. I spent a lot of time watching the D-line, and I really like that group a lot.”

“Ordinarily, you watch a non-padded practice, and you don’t get much out of it from a line perspective, but today you did with their D-line,” DiNardo added. “They play with their great talent, but they play with great leverage, they’re being coached at a high, high level, and they’re going to be ready.”

Martindale is known as an aggressive defensive coordinator, and DiNardo expects him to bring pressure as the play-caller.

“It’s Wink Martindale’s package — I think we’re gonna see more of his pressure package than we’ve seen with the other people that have been here that have copied his scheme,” he said.

Butt, though, pushed back and provided some more insight.

“I was doing the spring game here, and I talked to Wink,” the former Michigan tight end said. “What I like about him is he’s fluid in that sense, because we think about those Baltimore Ravens schemes and we think of the emphasis on pressure. But he told us that he wasn’t tied to that. He said, ‘Hey, if we can get pressure with three or four guys,’ which they should be able to with that defensive line, he doesn’t feel the need to pressure. But he will, just to keep opposing offenses on their toes.

“I think we saw that today. It’s a confusing defense. It’s very hard to define it pre-snap.”

“And he’ll take into account — he’s a veteran guy, obviously — if the offense needs some time,” DiNardo chimed back in. “As the offense finds their groove, he may not pressure so much. He may not want to put them right back on the field if the pressure doesn’t go well.”

The back end of the Michigan defense complements the line and vice versa.

“Having a guy like Will Johnson on the outside, though, allows you to … first of all, it’s a shame that he had to come back to college, because he should be playing in the National Football League right now,” Griffith opined. “He’s that good.

“But since he is, he’s such a talent. He’s physical, he can cover, he can do it all. I really like what they do at the safety position, too. They add guys to the box if they need to bring pressure.

“This is a good defense. Yes, they’ve lost a lot, but they are fundamentally sound, I believe.”

Overall, despite losing seven starters on defense, Michigan has been able to find players to step into prominent roles ahead of the 2024 campaign.

“I think it was the sign of a great program, because you’re gonna lose a lot, right? When you’re a great program and you win a ton of games, guys are going to go to the next level, but their ability to reload,” Butt said.

“The linebacker room, you got [junior] Jaishawn Barham coming from Maryland. They’re really excited about him. [Junior linebacker] Ernest Hausmann, really excited. So you lose Junior Colson, Mike Barrett, they are excited about this linebacker room once again.”