The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 19 BY CHRIS BALAS U sually at the end of spring football, college coaches meet with the media to talk about their team and give a breakdown of what transpired. They talk about movers on the depth chart, guys who made progress, the importance of the offseason and much more. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh opted not to do that this year, but he didn't really need to say much more than he had just a few weeks before. The tal- ent was on full display and spoke for him at the April 2 Maize vs. Blue spring game in front of an estimated 25,000-plus at Michigan Stadium. The Big Ten Network televised what was a full scrimmage, complete with live hitting. It was spirited, it was fun … and yes, it was impressive. At the same time, the Michigan players know it's just step one toward defending their Big Ten title. "It's a work in progress, but it felt good to be back," sophomore running back Blake Corum (952 yards rushing, 12 total touchdowns in 2021) said. "I feel like this team is picking up right where we left off. We put in the work this offseason, this whole spring camp. We've been putting in work, stacking those bricks. "We're in a strong spot, but we have some work to do. We have one more practice, then we get into workouts and stuff like that. These next couple months are going to be huge, but I believe at the end of the day we're going to have a great product to show everyone." So does Harbaugh, who called his team "scary good" at the beginning of spring. There are four guys with significant experience returning on the offensive line, and the fifth is Virginia grad trans- fer center Olu Oluwatimi, a Rimington Award finalist last year. Big Ten championship quarterback Cade McNamara returns as a redshirt sophomore, and the skill positions are loaded. They showed it this spring. Defensively, there's a lot to replace. End Aidan Hutchinson might be the first player taken in this year's NFL Draft, and fellow end David Ojabo would have been a first-rounder, too, if not for an Achil- les tear at Pro Day. Starting linebacker Josh Ross and three secondary starters — safeties Brad Hawkins and Daxton Hill, plus cornerback Vincent Gray — also need replacing, as does defensive tackle Chris Hinton. But several players have stepped up in their place. Veterans have taken their game to another level, while players looking for first-time significant game experience made moves. "We have so many players, so many guys with skill," McNamara said. "I think just the more that we have, I'm expecting us to be more dynamic." OFFENSE FEATURES TALENT GALORE It starts on offense with a back in Corum who would have reached 1,000 yards in his second year had he not got- ten injured, and a second-year back in Donovan Edwards who has a chance to be elite. Wideout Ronnie Bell was lim- ited this spring while rehabbing a knee injury suffered last year, but he could be a 1,000-yard receiver in his fifth year. The pass-catchers behind him are extremely talented, and veterans Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker provide an outstanding 1-2 punch at tight end. Throw in a veteran offensive line — three returning starters in redshirt ju- nior left tackle Ryan Hayes, redshirt sophomore left guard Trevor Keegan and sophomore right guard Zak Zinter, plus Oluwatimi — and you've got the makings of a juggernaut. It will be different this year without offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who left in the offseason to take the same job at Miami. A lot of the same faces return, however, and co-coordinators Matt Weiss and Sherrone Moore will receive plenty of help from different sources. "It's collaborative. Everybody has in- put," Weiss said. "I think that's one of the strengths of why we were good last year. When you go back and look at the staff — we had Sherrone Moore, [run- ning backs coach] Mike Hart, [tight ends coach] Grant Newsome, [wide receivers coach] Ron Bellamy. Even the other guys, too — [associate head coach] Biff Poggi and all these guys were on the same staff. "I think people will look back and say it was amazing that all these people were here. It's been a collaborative effort the whole time — certainly, a little bit of a change for me, but not a huge wholesale, totally different experience." But it's all coming together, and it starts in the quarterback room. What was supposed to be a heated competi- tion between incumbent McNamara (2,576 yards passing, 15 touchdowns last year) and J.J. McCarthy (516 yards, five touchdowns) — well, wasn't. Lingering shoulder pain prevented the sophomore McCarthy from throwing and relegated him to handing off and watching from the sidelines in most practices. Still, the threat of competition never went away. And when a reporter asked how McNamara viewed himself in the battle to start this fall, he didn't hesitate. "I mean — I'm a Big Ten champion- ship-winning starting quarterback," WEAPONS ON DISPLAY Michigan Football Has A New Look In 2022, Plenty Of Talent And The Same High Expectations Redshirt junior Mike Sainristil will continue to see time at receiver, but his coverage skills stood out in the secondary this spring. He is expected to see action at nickel corner and more while playing both ways this year. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL