The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 23 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan defensive coor- dinator Wink Martindale s ta r te d h i s f i rs t s p r i n g press conference the way he did his ini- tial meeting with the media when asked what he thought of his group: "This year is going to be different," he said. "Just like last year was." Perhaps in a different way, though. Last season was a "getting to know you" type year when Martindale replaced Jesse Minter, and it took some time for the defensive players to jell under the longtime NFL coach. When they did, though, they took off, becoming one of the best defenses in the country in the last three games of the season. This upcoming campaign is about re- placing some of the most elite players in Michigan football history on defense and keeping opponents off the score- board while the offense finds its way under new coordinator Chip Lindsey. How they'll do that has yet to be de- termined, but there's a lot of talent on this team, a nice blend of youth and veterans. Here are the major storylines heading into spring ball, which started March 18. OFFENSE WHO'S THE QUARTERBACK? "Follow the money" was how one insider put it when we asked who he thought would get the nod in the Aug. 31 opener with New Mexico State. That, of course, implies freshman Bryce Un- derwood will be behind center after signing a huge NIL deal to lead the Wol- verines in their quest to reclaim a Big Ten title and more. We wouldn't bet against it — Under- wood is that good — but Lindsey made it clear it would be an open competition this spring with Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and possibly sophomore Jadyn Davis also in the mix. The OC also seemed to indicate he'd like to have one quarterback play rather than split duty. "Anytime you can determine who you think your guy is, I think that's an ad- vantage," he said. "The more reps they get with the ones, the more reps they get doing it, so to speak. I'm definitely not against hav- ing a guy that learns behind a starter, assuming you're talking about Bryce with Mikey or even Jadyn. "But at the end of the day, I think it's probably too early to start saying, 'This is what we like and how we think it should look.' Let's put them out there in scrimmage situations where it's not scripted, where they have to play the game." If they have to play two at the posi- tion, he added, they will. At the same time, Lindsey doesn't expect to name a starter out of spring ball. "I think this competition is going to go on for a while," he said, noting all of them would get their share of reps this spring. HOW WILL THE OFFENSIVE LINE SHAKE OUT? Left tackle, especially, is one posi- tion the Wolverines seemingly haven't bolstered much, and it's at least some- what a concern. Junior tackle Evan Link struggled on the right side last year, and while he did OK against Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl sliding to the left, it's hard to envision him as the answer there. In fact, many would like to see him at guard. Michigan color commentator Jon Jansen wasn't certain, either. "Do they put [freshman Andrew] Ba- balola in there at left? Do they go with [sophomore] Andrew Sprague?" Jansen said. "I thought Link was going to be the answer at left, and he might still be, but his movement is going to have to improve." Michigan sophomore Blake Frazier is going to have a shot if he's healthy and gets stronger, but he still looks like he needs to add weight. "I would like to see Link go to guard, Gio [El-Hadi] at the other guard, and then [fifth year] Greg Crippen at cen- ter," Jansen said. "Then you just go young with athleticism and talent at tackle … but it's going to be very inex- perienced. It's going to cost you some. Does it cost you a game or two? Hope- fully not, but it will be interesting to see how it plays out." Lindsey, too, is anxious to see what he's got, and — understandably — he really isn't certain how it will shake out. They do expect to leave Sprague at right tackle, however, after the sopho- more performed solidly there against Alabama in his first start, and then the veterans and young guys will compete at all other positions. "I think we're in the process of find- ing that out," he said. "The good thing is we had a bowl game where a lot of those guys got to play and get reps. … That's a good start. And me being here, I was still learning names and every- body then, but what I've seen through the offseason and watching film is we've got a good young group for sure. "Some of them haven't played as much as you'd probably like, but I think we've got a great idea of how we're go- ing to rotate guys during spring. It's a competition, and in any position when you have competition, I think that's when you get the best out of them. "At left tackle, it's going to be some- thing that's going to move up and down the depth chart every day. You'd like for one of them to step up and be the guy, but we're a long way from that. It will be good to see all the guys that are working at left tackle." Link might get first crack, but again, everyone will get a shot. "Are any of the younger ones going to be ready to play left tackle as fresh- men?" Lindsey said. "[Babalola] is go- ing to be a really good player. Is he ready yet? I don't know, but there are prob- ably some more experienced guys." HOW MUCH DIFFERENT WILL CHIP LINDSEY'S OFFENSE BE? And, more importantly, does he have the pieces he needs to succeed? The more we hear about, and from, the new Michigan offensive coordinator, the more we like. He's innovative, able to adapt and values the running game like head coach Sherrone Moore. It was clear the quarterback room wasn't going to be good enough last year, but Moore and Co. said they were happy with the room. The ceiling First-year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is known for being an innovative play-caller who also values the running game like his head coach, Sherrone Moore. It remains to be seen just how different the offense might be in 2025 compared to the traditional Michigan blueprint. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS