Team Maize defeated Team Blue by a score of 17-7 at today's 2024 edition of the Michigan Football spring game. A game that was preceded by the championship ring ceremony and had numerous departed heroes strolling the sideline, the focus on the field was instead on a number of young players trying to make a name for themselves. As in past years, I'm not going to give a play-by-play recap for an exhibition game, but instead will give you a batch of instant reaction takes on what we witnessed: 

Offense

Alex Orji's potential... and areas for improvement. Orji quarterbacked the first drive for Team Blue, as well as the last, with  intermittent snaps in between. In that time we saw some good and some bad from Orji. He varied his touch on throws that showed a decent understanding of quarterbacking, but was mostly throwing checkdown passes. The final drive in particular saw the defense back off (Team Maize had a 10 point lead), ceding the underneath routes and Orji was efficient in connecting on those. But that's what you'd expect any QB at this level to be able to do, so I'm not putting much stock in that. 

However, there were more tantalizing moments. Orji delivered a pass to Max Bredeson with good zip and then sensed pressure before scrambling for a touchdown on the first drive. He also seemed to have another touchdown scramble on the last drive, but it was overturned on a questionable "sack" (the referees blew the play dead in rather dubious fashion). The athleticism and the ability to hit the easy stuff was on display but there were concerning moments. He put a ball behind Tyler Morris on the first drive and forced a laser into double coverage looking for Zack Marshall on the last drive. Orji also showed good pocket presence on a different snap a couple drives earlier, dancing in the pocket and eventually finding an open receiver on 3rd & 5... but he way overthrew his target. I'm not sure if the accuracy and reads are completely where they need to be, but Orji wasn't a total wreck and gave us enough reasons to believe he could plausibly be the QB in 2024. It didn't answer all the questions at the QB position, but there was enough on display to believe Orji could be a successful QB at some point in the future (whether that is in '24 or '25). 

Takes on the other QBs. Davis Warren was the starting QB for Team Maize and just like prior seasons, Warren looked pretty damn good. His arm talent is 100% there, which was most on display on a bomb to Kendrick Bell for a TD: 

🔔🔔🔔

📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/G1jgyJAwmO

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 20, 2024

There were several other strikes that Warren uncorked and he may well have been the most impressive QB today. However, it does feel a little difficult to take all of it seriously because Warren has looked terrific in spring games prior too, which hasn't necessarily translated to regulation games. 

Jayden Denegal was a bit of a disappointment in this one I felt. His drives for Team Maize had some moments, but ultimately left a lot to be desired. Yes he did hit a bomb to Fred Moore, but he also threw a wretched interception to DJ Waller (which was punched out and recovered as a fumble), threw a ball that was batted at the line, fumbled a snap that killed the two minute drill in the second quarter, and had a couple other iffy looking throws on the fourth drive. Based on the feel of this game, it would appear that Orji and Warren are the main two in-house contenders for the starting QB this fall. 

Jadyn Davis didn't play a ton, as expected. He threw a nice ball down the sideline for Peyton O'Leary that was PBU'd which showed off his arm talent, but he did appear to miss a wide open receiver on that very play. That was Davis' most notable moment during a short afternoon and based on today I would expect him to redshirt this fall (nothin' wrong with that). 

[AFTER THE JUMP: more takes]

[Patrick Barron]

Donovan Edwards looking good! I thought one of the best sights in this spring game was Donovan Edwards' sharp effort. He played early on in this game and from an eye test standpoint looked as good as he did at any point last season. Edwards was making good cuts, breaking tackles, showing his speed. After a frustrating junior season (until the National Championship Game), it looks like Edwards is on the right track here in spring and that's nice to see. 

Receiver/TE highlights. Kendrick Bell had the TD that I already clipped a few points above, amid several catches in this game. Fred Moore was the most impactful receiver, hauling in a long catch-and-run TD from Davis Warren that showed off his speed and open field ability: 

.@FredrickMoore6_ turned on the jets! 💨

📺 @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/pJDQT73riu

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 20, 2024

Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan both played some early on, mostly receiving short stuff. Perennial spring game hero Peyton O'Leary had some moments as well, but we've come to expect that. The tight ends did indeed show some Marlin Klein, but I was most intrigued to see a lot of Zack Marshall (he had a bunch of targets) and a little of Deakon Tonielli and Hogan Hansen. It was a bit tough to asses how far along the young TEs are on first watch but they were not short on playing time today. Marshall getting a lot of action today perhaps is a good indicator for his spot on the depth chart. 

Don't ask me for OL takes. As always with the spring game, the OL is very hard to evaluate in real time. That'll be a job for Brian and Seth this week when they dig through the tape. 

[Patrick Barron]

Defense 

Both CB2 candidates had moments. One of the main areas of focus coming into this spring game was the CB2 battle between Jyaire Hill and DJ Waller. I thought both looked pretty solid, with Waller having the aforementioned interception, not to mention a couple tackles in space on screens and helping out in the run game (he was credited with a 4th & 2 stop). Hill had a PBU and was also involved in the run defense. Both guys showed up in my notes a few times and mostly for good things. That's all a good sign and a notable departure from last season's spring game, when the hyped CB2 option (Amorion Walker) was given extensive problems by a walk-on receiver. 

TJ Guy sack! Mentioned in my spring game preview, EDGE TJ Guy has been a major talking point in the spring buzz, so it was nice to see him get a sack in this game. I am 90% sure it came against true freshman tackle Blake Frazier, so probably not the most meaningful indicator, but that's what a player in line for playing time needs to be doing against an inexperienced tackle. I also had him down for a run stuff on 3rd & 4, so Guy was active in both phases of the game. While we're dealing with a sack bullet point, we should note that Kechaun Bennett was also credited for a sack. We've seldom heard about Bennett in his time at Michigan, so it's always nice to see something from him. 

An assortment of young guys who had their names called. Zeke Berry had some solid moments in the run game that I put in my notes and was credited for the "sack" on the play where Denegal fumbled the snap. Didn't see a ton from him in coverage live, but again there's a lot going on during each individual play. Ja'Den McBurrows had a great tackle and there was a pressure for Team Blue that I credited to a duo of LB Jimmy Rolder and EDGE/OLB Breeon Ishmail. That play may have been the first time that Ishmail's name has shown up in any practice notes, regulation or spring game action since the Ohioan joined the Wolverines in the 2023 recruiting class. Rolder also had a pressure that forced a sack one play later, which drew a penalty on tackle Evan Link. 

Ike Iwunnah batted a pass from Denegal at the line that appeared to be intercepted by EDGE Aymeric Koumba, but upon further review the ball bounced off the turf. True freshman EDGE Dominic Nichols popped on a 3rd down run stuff and also showed up in my notes on another play later on in the game. Another true freshman, LB Cole Sullivan, helped Jyaire Hill make a stop on 4th & 1 on the penultimate Team Blue drive to help secure the win for Team Maize. I'm not sure what, if anything, any of these plays mean, but it never hurts to get positively credited for a play in the spring game.  

Special Teams 

Adam Samaha missed a field goal. Not much to report on here, but Adam Samaha went 1/2 on his field goal attempts. He made a 31 yarder (tucked it inside the upright) but missed a 30 yarder. Not ideal. Panic if you want.