ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fox will be in town on Saturday for Michigan’s spring game, the first chance to see the Wolverines on the field since they beat Washington in the championship game of the College Football Playoff in January.
Getting used to life without Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum will take some time, but Michigan can’t afford to dwell on the past. Grab a roster and keep an eye on these 10 players who have a shot to be part of the future.
The quarterback conversation starts with Orji, one of the most explosive athletes on the team. He has performed well enough to be the leader in the clubhouse coming out of the spring but hasn’t locked up in the job, in part because Jack Tuttle isn’t fully healthy.
A huge part of Michigan’s offensive success during the past three years was its ability to avoid self-inflicted errors. Michigan was one of the least penalized teams in college football and led the FBS in turnover margin last season. Expecting the Wolverines to maintain that standard with 10 new starters on offense isn’t realistic, but they want to get as close as possible. If Orji can play a clean game in Saturday’s scrimmage, it will be a good sign that he’s moving in the right direction.
“I’m trying to be the smartest guy on the field, no matter what,” Orji said before the Rose Bowl. “That’s something (McCarthy) has helped me with, just being able to lock into the details and know the offense like the back of my hand.”
Barham started 23 games at Maryland and has the athletic traits to be a game-wrecker in Wink Martindale’s defense. Spring games tend to be fairly vanilla, but it’s worth keeping an eye on Barham and seeing if Michigan turns him loose a time or two.
Michigan has huge shoes to fill a linebacker to replace Junior Colson and Michael Barrett. Ernest Hausmann has set the standard in the spring, and the Wolverines are trying to get Barham up to that level. Barham is still learning the defense and adjusting to Michigan’s way of doing things, but once he gets comfortable, he and Hausmann should be one of the best linebacker tandems in the Big Ten, if not the FBS.
“Spring ball is huge for him, and myself as well, to learn to play off of each other,” Hausmann said.
Jaishawn Barham (1) started 23 games at Maryland before transferring to Michigan. (Jim Dedmon / USA Today)
G Josh Priebe
Priebe, who started 29 games at Northwestern, is the other transfer expected to step into a starting role. With five new starters on the offensive line, Priebe supplies some much-needed experience at guard as Michigan replaces two fixtures in Zak Zinter and Trevor Keegan.
Michigan drafted teams to square off in the spring game, so even if everyone were healthy, the five projected starters wouldn’t be playing next to each other on Saturday. Continuity will come later, but seeing how Priebe matches up with some of the talented players on Michigan’s defensive front will provide a good gauge of where things stand.
Edge TJ Guy
Guy is one of those down-the-depth-chart players who has made a move this spring. Since the start of spring practices, players and coaches have talked about him as a candidate to move into the rotation and claim some of the snaps Michigan lost with the departures of Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor.
“He’s been a guy in this program for years now, waiting his turn, being in a full room throughout his time here,” edge Josaiah Stewart said. “I feel like this year he’ll really shine, and a lot of people are going to see that.”
In limited snaps, Guy has shown good bend and the tools to be an effective situational pass rusher. If you’re looking for a breakout candidate in the spring game, he’s not a bad bet.
Moore, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, is another candidate to be the player everyone is talking about after the spring game. The Wolverines need a vertical threat to complement Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan, and Moore has the size and wheels to be that player.
Michigan has had several wide receivers hit the transfer portal, including Cristian Dixon and Eamonn Dennis, veteran players who never developed into contributors. Those players probably wouldn’t have played major roles, but depth now becomes an issue. If Moore shows he’s on the same level with Morris and Morgan, the need to add another starting-caliber wide receiver in the transfer portal won’t be as urgent.
Rod Moore is hurt. Keon Sabb transferred to Alabama. It’s Berry’s time.
Berry was a top-200 prospect in the Class of 2022 in the 247Sports Composite, and 247’s rankings had him just outside the top 50. In his third year at Michigan, he should be a starter or, at minimum, a big part of the secondary rotation.
Positional flexibility is one of the traits that should get Berry on the field. Safety is his primary position, but he has taken reps at nickel, where Ja’Den McBurrows is the favorite to replace Mike Sainristil. No one is saying Berry will be the next Sainristil, but defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan sees a few similarities.
“A guy that has really stepped up is Zeke Berry,” Morgan said. “I think Zeke Berry’s going to be a unique player for us here. He’s still young and he’s still got to develop, but he’s got a lot of those traits.”
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Colston Loveland is an All-America candidate and one of the best tight ends in college football. Athletically, Klein could be every bit Loveland’s equal, if not a notch higher. That doesn’t mean he can do everything Loveland can do, but he’s a talented player who’s due for a chance to show it.
Steve Casula, Michigan’s tight ends coach, said Klein has made a big move this spring, which bodes well for his chances of replacing AJ Barner as the second tight end alongside Loveland.
“Everyone’s been aware of Mar for a long time,” Casula said. “I think Mar will be a guy who gets a lot of great opportunities.”
This is a two-for-one entry because Waller and Hill have a shot to elevate themselves in the spring game. It’s a good bet that, unless Michigan adds a starting-caliber cornerback from the portal, one of these two players will be on the field opposite Will Johnson when Michigan opens the 2024 season.
Both have had their moments in spring practice, and it’s hard to say who’s in the lead right now. Michigan is going to let the competition play out and see who rises to the top.
“We’ve been trying to throw a lot of guys with the ones and twos, rolling reps,” Morgan said. “That’s what I believe in. Once it gets down to fall camp, summer and all that, we can make an adjustment of who we’re going to play out there.”
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K Adam Samaha
Kicker was a question going into last year’s spring game, and lo and behold, Michigan found its answer by plucking James Turner out of the portal. That spared Samaha the pressure of being thrust into the spotlight as a freshman on a team with national championship aspirations.
Now that he has had a year to settle in, Samaha should be ready to take over and continue Michigan’s successful run of kickers. Punter Tommy Doman can kick field goals, too, but Samaha projects as the No. 1 option if he’s ready to go.
(Top photo of Alex Orji: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
