The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 25 when [former center] Olu [Oluwatimi] came in here [as a transfer from Virginia last spring], he didn't come in as first on the depth chart. He had to earn it." QB, RB ROOMS FEATURE ELITE TALENT The same is true of every position, Moore added. At the same time, there's no doubt who the starting quarterback and first two running backs will be. Ju- nior J.J. McCarthy is one of the nation's top returning signal-callers after throw- ing for 2,719 yards and 22 touchdowns last year. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 84 yards with a touchdown and an inter- ception in the spring game. The biggest question in that room — who's the backup? Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle had a solid spring but was up and down in the spring game, com- pleting 6 of 12 for 57 yards with one bad pick. He also fumbled once, though he did some damage with his legs. Junior Davis Warren was 8 of 13 for 163 yards and an interception, but he had some nice throws. Sophomore Alex Orji showed off his big arm in throwing some frozen ropes, including a 41-yarder to frosh receiver Fredrick Moore, in addi- tion to his running ability that's been on display since he arrived. Running backs coach Mike Hart saw plenty to like with his position group, even with Heisman candidate Blake Co- rum and elite backup Donovan Edwards held out with injuries. Freshman Benja- min Hall stood out this spring, sopho- more C.J. Stokes is improving and others got carries, too. Hart noted they were all benefiting from the starters sitting out or limited while recovering from their injuries. "I think everyone knows … groupwise, the growth of the room has developed because of the reps allowed to be given out when not having two guys who have played a bunch of football," Hart said. "It's really helped the younger guys de- velop … they make mistakes but get bet- ter." Hall was one who benefited most. He carried 13 times for 96 yards and a touchdown in the spring game, showing great patience and vision. "Ben, obviously … he got here in Janu- ary. He's going to be special," Hart said. "[Freshman] Cole Cabana didn't play. He's banged up a little bit. But all those young guys — Leon Franklin, Tavi Dunlap — are doing a great job, competing every day. So, I'm just really, really excited about where we are as a group. "I feel really good going into next year if guys get banged up. If guys get hurt, we've got a lot of depth this year." But Hall, the first-year player from Acworth, Ga., was the one everyone was talking about. "His maturity, it's pretty amazing," Hart said. "You wouldn't guess he just turned 18 a few weeks ago. He acts like he's been here a long time. He works hard, studies, understands the offense. "He's just getting better and better ev- ery day, and he's just built like a grown man. He's 235 pounds. His legs are huge; he runs hard. I'm excited about his future here." RECEIVING CORPS IS DEEP, BUT IS THERE A GAMEBREAKER? There's depth at wide receiver, too — but is there top-end talent and a game changer? There hasn't been one in a while — probably not since Braylon Edwards in 2004 — and there's not an obvious 1,000- yard guy on the roster. Fifth-year Cornelius Johnson had a breakout game at Ohio State with 69- and 75-yard touchdowns as a deep threat, and he also drew a pass interference penalty in the fourth quarter on another deep shot. He's got a chance to emerge as the clear No. 1. Senior Roman Wilson has the speed, and he showed in the Fiesta Bowl against TCU (5 catches, 104 yards, 1 touchdown) he can be that deep threat, as well. But just because they opened it up in that game, McCarthy throwing for 343 yards and 2 scores, it doesn't necessarily indicate anything for the future, Moore said. "Not really," the coach said. "It was be- cause there were just situations where we had to do it. So again, we did whatever we needed to do to win at that time. And that's what we felt like was best. "Going through the air was the process … that's part of the offense, whether we need to do that or not. So, for us, it's just motivation because, at the end of the day, we lost the game. It doesn't really matter how good it looked at the end. You looked at the scoreboard, we didn't win. That's what we want — we just want to win." And there will be games — like the Ohio State game in Columbus — in which they need to throw to win. Young guys like sophomores Tyler Morris and Dar- rius Clemons showed flashes this spring. Former walk-on Peyton O'Leary was outstanding in the spring game, catch- ing 6 passes for 126 yards including the winning two-point conversion for the Maize team. Meanwhile, Moore hauled in 4 catches for 62 yards for the Blue team in his U-M debut. Sophomore Colston Loveland might already be one of the best tight ends in the Big Ten, and Indiana transfer AJ Barner made some noise this spring, too. He caught 3 passes for 30 yards and a touch- down in the spring game, while veteran Matt Hibner showed some speed on a 52-yard catch-and-run before tripping himself at the 10-yard line. All in all, McCarthy should have a deep and talented stable of pass catchers to throw to this fall. ❏ Former walk-on receiver Peyton O'Leary was outstanding in the spring game, catch- ing 6 passes (on 7 targets) for 126 yards, including the winning two-point conversion for the Maize team. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ Offensive coordinator/line coach Sherrone Moore "So, really, it's about winning. Whatever we've got to do to win, that's what we're going to do."