BIG CONGRATULATIONS!: Bryce Underwood Signs $5.25Million Contract with Nike as best young QB, Becomes the First to Achieve Historic Mill……

 

There are plenty of storylines for Michigan’s spring game, but for the players, there are high stakes, as in, steaks to the winner and hot dogs to the loser.

 

Those meal options are not unusual, nor are the questions about how the Wolverines look so far this season. How are the quarterbacks? What about the receivers? The defensive backs? How about the offensive line?

 

Not that there will be many answers, but the Maize and Blue game on Saturday at Michigan Stadium will be the first public look at Michigan, and it will provide a baseline for the team as it heads into preseason camp. Kickoff is noon and the team is expected to be on the field at 11:15 a.m. for warmups. The game will air tape-delayed April 27 on Big Ten Network.

The format features four, 15-minute quarters and a 15-minute halftime. Teams can run a maximum of two trick plays, and teams can challenge two calls each half. Kicks and punts will be fair caught, and there will be field goals and punts.

 

There was a draft earlier in the week and freshman offensive tackle Andrew Babalola was the first overall pick by the Maize team.

 

Here are some things to watch in the spring game:

 

Who is this Underwood guy?

Everyone knows about early-enrollee freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, the nation’s top recruit, and everyone wants to see what he can do. Remember, things will be vanilla in this spring game, and it won’t be an opportunity to learn much about new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s offense or probably much about Underwood.

The talk all spring from his teammates and coaches has been extremely positive, and this game will give an opportunity to see what his timing is with the receivers and what kind of arm he has. It also will be a big opportunity for Jadyn Davis to show off the improvements, mostly with his throwing mechanics, everyone has said he’s made. Mikey Keene, the Fresno State transfer, has been out with an undisclosed injury, but he has a wealth of experience, so missing spring practice, while not ideal, won’t keep him from being a factor in the fall.

 

Looking for OL strides

There are some starters back, with guard Gio El-Hadi and center Greg Crippen, as well as tackle Evan Link, but the game will be a chance to see a number of players rotating at different spots. Position coach Grant Newsome said he’s got about six or seven linemen who could start this fall but he’d like to increase that to 10.

 

El-Hadi, who has moved back to left guard from right, said the line was disappointed in its performance last season and will be “nasty” this fall. Nathan Efobi, likely the starter at right guard, has patiently waited to see the field and said he ultimately needed the time to develop his game. Along with Efobi, linemen to watch on Saturday are Andrew Sprague and Babalola, as well as Brady Norton, the affable transfer from Cal-Poly who has made the jump from FCS.

 

Seeing what McCulley brings

Michigan’s receivers didn’t have a great year last fall and in the offseason the Wolverines targeted bringing in size. Donaven McCulley, a 6-foot-5 transfer from Indiana, gives Michigan a big-body receiver they’ve lacked since Nico Collins. Returning receiver Semaj Morgan believes McCulley is a difference-maker and all the receivers will improve in Lindsey’s receiver-friendly offense.

It might be difficult on Saturday to make that evaluation, but seeing if McCulley elevates the group is something that could be obvious. Fans should also focus on freshmen Andrew Marsh and Jamar Browder since position coach Ron Bellamy said they could be factors this fall.

 

Finding Justice

Alabama transfer running back Justice Haynes will see the Michigan Stadium field for the first time in a game setting, so it will be interesting to see how he matches up with Jordan Marshall, who had a big performance in the bowl game.

 

Those two are 1A-1B, so this game will be more useful to determine who might be the No. 3 back now that Ben Hall has decided to transfer. Could that be Micah Ka’apana? Perhaps, but Michigan likely will try to land another running back from the portal to add depth heading into the season.

 

Don’t forget about defense

There are so many questions on offense but so much confidence in a defense that coordinator Wink Martindale has described as tremendously deep. There are plenty of knowns on the defensive line, like Derrick Moore, TJ Guy and Rayshaun Benny. But the game will offer an opportunity to see tackle transfer additions Tre Williams and Damon Payne Jr. Also, keep an eye on Trey Pierce, someone former tackle Mason Graham said will play a big role this fall, as well as edge Dom Nichols.

 

Everyone knows what Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham can do, so this will be a chance for Cole Sullivan to shine at linebacker. In the secondary, eyes will be on freshman cornerback Shamari Earls and safety T.J. Metcalf, a transfer from Arkansas.