The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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26 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2023 BY CHRIS BALAS L ong ago, Michigan spring games were like an extra foot- ball Saturday, only not in fall. Players treated it as such, with bragging rights on the line and steak dinners for the winners compared to hot dogs for the losers. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh got back to something close to that last year and vowed something similar for this year's game. There will be a draft, with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to lead one squad and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter the other. Several players will likely miss the game with minor injuries, but there will still be plenty to see and glean. TOP THREE 2023 SPRING GAME STORYLINES 3. Where will the pass rush come from? This was asked last year, too. Michigan lost a pair of elite ends in Aidan Hutchin- son and David Ojabo before the season … and while the 2022 squad registered more sacks overall (37 to 34), it still ranked only 32nd nationally with a 34.9 percent pres- sure rate, and 33rd with 2.64 sacks per contest last season. The Wolverines also managed only 2 combined sacks in the Ohio State and TCU games, their two toughest. "That's one of the weaknesses that we identified about ourselves in the room," Michigan senior defensive lineman Kris Jenkins said. "We were able to establish ourselves as one of the main run-stopping threats in college football, and we wanted to really emphasize making the quarter- back really fear us this year on pass rush. That's been our emphasis." Harbaugh mentioned Mike Morris last year as a potential breakout candidate in that area, and he was right. Morris led the team with 7.5 sacks and was named the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year despite being injured in the last three games. This year, senior edge Braiden McGregor is the guy getting love from the coach. "As we've said across the team, he's becoming a 'freak,'" Jenkins said of Mc- Gregor. "You're all going to see a lot from him this year." But they can get more from the interior, too, and believe they will. Jenkins, sopho- Senior edge Braiden McGregor could emerge as a major pass-rushing threat for the Wolverines. He had 17 tackles in 2022, including 5 for loss and 2.5 sacks. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MICHIGAN 2023 SPRING GAME PREVIEW THE 3-2-1 Breaking Down What To Expect In The April 1 Game At Michigan Stadium