Michigan Football: Position-by-position Spring Game takeaways on offense

Michigan held its spring game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday and there is plenty to discuss, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

What does the quarterback battle look like? Who else stands out in attack?

M&BR goes on the attack position by position to break down what was on display during the match.

Considering sample size, was Jayden Denegal's performance an indicator that Alex Orji and Davis are a step ahead of Warren in the quarterback race? Possibly. Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell had had a bad start to the spring after the Denegal game, but came through the final two weeks of spring training.

Since the public, including the media, has only seen a small snippet of Denegal's spring, the clear conclusion is that Orji and Warren appear to be the most likely candidates to receive significant attention as the starting quarterback.

Orji had his moments throughout the game, making a handful of good sideline throws with the right touch on his passes. He certainly settled in once he got a few steps under him and looked good at times. His ability to escape the pocket and create his own play with his legs is certainly a wrinkle he can add to this game, as we saw last year.

Clearly, Warren looked the most consistent on Saturday. He was steady in the pocket and was able to complete a number of timely passes, including a deep throw to Deakon Tonielli, where he had to throw backwards, and a touchdown strike to Kendrick Bell on a deep ball.

The quarterback competition wasn't decided Saturday, and there will be many more to come once fall camp arrives.

Lots to enjoy from the running backs yesterday. Donovan Edwards is Donovan Edwards, who looked like he found his cool and was able to punch a few holes in the limited reps he received throughout the game.

Kalel Mullings will obviously play a role as RB2, but also had limited reps.

Things could get interesting in RB3, as the Wolverines have multiple options to choose from in that role, each with their own unique skillset. Ben Hall is capable of being the bruised back who ran with physicality on Saturday. Tavierre Dunlap also had moments where he was able to find holes and cut through the defense for good yardage on the ground.

While Edwards is elite, the depth behind him appears to be able to spell him and he doesn't have to be a guy who runs 30 times a game.

Colston Loveland is Colston Loveland, not much else needs to be said about it. This will focus on the depth behind him, something the coaching staff wanted to see increase this spring.

It looks like some are on their way.

I don't consider Marlin Klein to have “depth” at the position as he will be used significantly in the starting offense and will be a factor. Klein looks good physically and made some nice plays in the passing game. He is described as having elite athleticism, which will make him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses this season.

For the guys behind Loveland and Klein, Deakon Tonielli and Zack Marshall both had good days making plays. Tonielli ran a very clean route to find separation for much of the game at one point in the game. Tonielli and Marshall were two players the staff hoped would take a step forward in the spring. Both had a good day.

The biggest takeaway for the receiver position is that depth needs to be addressed through the transfer portal. While there is nothing wrong with the top players at receiver, the depth is currently razor thin and the program simply cannot afford any more losses in its current state. Campbell admitted as much after the spring game and said the program wants to tap into depth through the portal.

As for the competitors, Tyler Morris will be UM's leading receiver this season. His ability to find space in the short to medium route play was evident when he made a few plays. Moore also appears ready to take the next step in his game. Breaking off a route when the play broke down to find an open field and push his way through the defense for a score is a very encouraging sign. The more game makers can create their own luck, the better.

Kendrick Bell is a fascinating prospect. Campbell said after the match that he is a year behind in his development compared to Ronnie Bell. So where does that leave him in the rotation? It certainly seems like he's playing a role. However, on a physical level, another year of development could help him immensely. Depending on what the depth looks like during fall camp, there could be a chance he could see something early.

This group is harder to talk about because you didn't see Josh Priebe and Gio El-Hadi competing and the group was split between two teams.

I can only discuss what we saw on Saturday and the offensive line had good moments and bad moments. The group was able to get a boost for nice chunks of five meters or more. Pre-snap penalties were limited, but some were called, something UM didn't talk about much last season. Holding calls were limited and protection had moments where it broke down, especially when it came to protecting Denegal, which saw his process abandoned on a number of occasions. Is it that the backups are having a bad day or that the defensive line is just elite? Probably somewhere in the middle.

I'm not going to jump to conclusions before we see the starting five fall together.

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