The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 45 ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL out" the 15 practices, even if he "still has work to do." And he made it clear that Underwood leaves spring ball as the team's top arm, even if freshman early enrollee Tommy Carr showed out while playing with the backups. "Well, Bryce is our starter right now, and that's not any different after today," Whittingham said. "But Tommy has re- ally made strides." MICHIGAN'S OFFENSE COMING TOGETHER The offensive line struggled in pass protection last season, and that was on display again in the spring game, but Whittingham isn't concerned. He trusts position coach Jim Harding and the talent level on the team. He noted, too, that the spring game format wasn't necessarily conducive to perfect offensive line play. "I think the O-line is going to be fine once all's said and done," Whittingham said. "Jim Harding is a proven commodity as an offensive line coach. He's been with me for over a decade and has produced a solid offensive line every single year. I don't think this year is going to be any different. We had two or three guys that were very limited or out this spring that are going to be very prominent in the fall, pushing for starting jobs. So, I don't nec- essarily think — especially today, where you had to split up the O-line, when half of them were with the ones and half of them with the twos — I have a big concern about it. … I think we're going to be solid once we get into the season." Michigan has upgraded at wide re- ceiver, where sophomores Andrew Marsh and JJ Buchanan, the latter a Utah trans- fer, are leading the way on the outside and at slot, respectively. The scrimmage provided a chance for sophomore Jaime Ffrench (4 catches, 26 yards), sophomore tight end Eli Owens (4 grabs, 28 yards) and freshman Salesi Moa (4 receptions, 26 yards) to get some experience. Junior running back Jordan Marshall wasn't allowed to be tackled — which actually served as a disadvantage for his stat line, considering he's elite at break- ing would-be tackles. He rushed 5 times for 21 yards with an 8-yard long. Freshman Savion Hiter, meanwhile, was the most impressive of the bunch, dashing for 44 yards on 10 carries. His longest rush was also 8 yards, but he picked up two third-and-1s with ease and flashed just how hard he is to bring down. DEFENSIVE LINE IS MICHIGAN'S STRENGTH The defensive line won a lot of the battles, applying pressure on the quar- terbacks with a total of 5 sacks. Junior de- fensive end Dominic Nichols got in the backfield early, and sophomore Nate Mar- shall notched a sack. The defensive tackles stood out, in- cluding some players who haven't got- ten much playing time in the past, with junior Deyvid Palepale (3 tackles) and sophomores Travis Moten (6 tackles, 2 sacks) and Bobby Kanka (2 tackles) lead- ing the charge. Senior Jonah Lea'ea, a starter at Utah last year, had a sack in the first quarter, too. Whittingham said the defensive line is "our strongest suit right now," with "10 bodies ready to play," even before senior end John Henry Daley — a first-team All- American at Utah last season — returns from injury (he's set to be a full partici- pant in team activities June 1). Kanka and freshman linebacker Markel Dabney combined to make the play of the game defensively, stuffing O'Meara at the line on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line early in the fourth quarter, keeping it a 6-0 Blue team lead for the time being. Dabney was one of many linebackers that rotated in. The starters were sopho- mores Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng and Chase Taylor for Maize and freshman Aden Reeder and senior Troy Bowles on the Blue. The secondary allowed a lot of passing success but bowed up in the red zone. Ju- nior Taylor Tatum, an Oklahoma transfer making a transition from running back to safety, made a pair of pass breakups in the end zone. Sophomore Kainoa Win- ston also impressed with 6 tackles and a pass breakup. ❑ Top Five Players From The Spring 1. Freshman QB Tommy Carr: The Saline (Mich.) High product, grandson of former Michi- gan head coach Lloyd Carr and All-America safety Tom Curtis and son of former Wolverine quarterback Jason Carr, made a great first impression, completing 21 of his 30 total passes for 143 yards and rushing 10 times for 67 yards (though defenders weren't allowed to tackle him). He heads into the summer as the Wolverines' backup quarterback, though more competition will be added with graduate Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi, a Colorado State transfer who's made 27 career starts, slated to join the program. "All the things that you look for in a big-time quarterback, I believe Tommy possesses those," head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "It's still really early in his career, but what he's doing out there relative to his experience level is pretty impressive." 2. Freshman RB Savion Hiter: Without even breaking a long run, the 6-foot, 210-pounder (who Whittingham said is up to 220 now) looked the part and was incredibly difficult to bring to the ground. He picked up first downs in short-yardage situations and ended with 44 yards on 10 carries, close to breaking some longer ones. "I thought Savion Hiter really showed that he's an explosive back," Whittingham said. "He didn't get loose out in the open, but he's a powerful back that's going to be a big factor for us this fall." 3. Sophomore DT Travis Moten: Along with junior Deyvid Palepale and sophomore Bobby Kanka, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Moten stood out on the defensive line as he pushes for a spot in the rotation. He led the Maize team with 6 tackles and posted a game-high 2 sacks — one on Carr and the other on sophomore Chase Herbstreit. 4. Junior DE Dominic Nichols: The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder didn't register a sack but he was close and got near the quarterback a number of times, especially having success in the first quarter against freshman right tackle Marky Walbridge. "Dom Nichols — he's coming into his own," Whittingham said. "He's a force out there. He's 6-4-plus and 260 pounds and really has a great first step and pass-rushing skills. He's a guy that, I think, has the chance to be All-Big Ten before he's finished here." 5. Freshman WR Salesi Moa: Nobody was targeted more than the five-star recruit, who hauled in 4 catches for 26 yards. He was especially featured on screen plays, showing his explosiveness, leading the game with 21 yards after the catch. The former Utah signee just moves differently than most on the field and has tremendous upside. "You saw him make a few nice catches today. … He has a bright future," Whittingham said. — Clayton Sayfie