Beyond the Depth Chart: Position Battles

With the Maize vs Blue Spring Game putting a bow on spring practices, we have answers and more questions regarding the Michigan Football depth chart.

No jobs are won in the spring, but as a player, you'd rather have a great start than work from behind. Now, with the spring game added to the intel we've gathered throughout the spring and comments from coaches and players, let's revisit the most interesting position battles for Michigan Football heading into 2024.

Alex Orji and Davis Warren started for their respective teams in the spring game and were clearly the staff's focus.

Orji was 13-18 for 103 yards with an additional 18-yard rushing TD. We can debate when he would have been hit and some of the sack numbers because that's what comes with a spring game where you can't hit the QB, but there were some high and low moments passing the ball. After the game, he was made available to the media, and it continues to feel like the staff wants him to win this job.

Warren made it clear he is absolutely a factor for this starting job. Coming off a lost year where he dealt with a shoulder injury, Warren has been arguably the best passer in camp, and we saw it Saturday. 6-9 for 136 yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yard dot to Kendrick Bell. Now healthy, Warren is peaking at the right time.

Jack Tuttle has been rehabbing from an injury all spring, but he will insert himself into the battle this summer, especially in the fall. He is arguably the highest floor option with his experience.

Injuries on the offensive line didn't give us a full picture, but more confirmation of our spring intel.

There is no breakdown here because you simply can't draw conclusions for the offensive line in a spring game. I'm not going to try. But we did see Andrew Gentry starting at right tackle for the Blue team and Tristan Bounds for the Maize team.

Initially, this stuck out to me, as Jeffrey Persi was playing right guard for the Maize team. But then I realized with the injuries at guard, it made sense for Persi to play RG, the spot he played last season in mop up duty, and Bounds to be at tackle.

Gentry and Persi have been the names we've often heard, with talk that Bounds should not be discounted. Bounds doesn't have the in-game experience that Gentry and Persi have, but there isn't a massive gap either. Bounds has been in the program for a long time and has the tools to play the spot. Gentry and Persi bring versatility with their ability to play either side and at guard. Seeing how Michigan finds its best 5-7 in the fall will be interesting.

Special callout for Blake Frazier, who played left tackle in the spring game. He needs to add a little weight, but he is absolutely a star in the making.

UPDATE: Since publishing this article, DJ Waller has entered the transfer portal.

Other than quarterback, the biggest roster questions for Michigan this offseason is who starts across from Will Johnson and who replaces Mike Sainristil?

Throughout the spring, it has felt like this could be a committee approach because, especially in the case of Sainristil, no one player is the answer. After the spring game, I continue to feel that way, but Michigan fans should feel good about the group forming.

Four names are coming together in Ja'Den McBurrows, Zeke Berry, DJ Waller, and J'yaire Hill. Each had a strong performance and made plays during the spring game.

Last offseason, McBurrows was a competitor for the CB2 role before eventually becoming the backup nickel late in the season. McBurrows brings the physicality and ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage that Mikey had. He also has the versatility to play outside, something important to a defensive scheme that loves to disguise coverages and move players around.

Versatility is also key to Zeke Berry's game. Thought of as a safety/corner hybrid since arriving in Ann Arbor, Berry can be physical but also brings above-average coverage skills. He can play man or zone or drop into high-safety coverage. We could see more five-man fronts with Wink Martindale, which means more 4DB sets. Berry's ability to move in and out of corner and safety could be similar to what we saw with Dax Hill in 2021, which also makes him a candidate to help replace the loss of Rod Moore.

Two freshmen who battled for CB2 last season are doing it again and taking sophomore leaps in 2024. DJ Waller and J'yaire Hill both looked awesome in coverage on Saturday. Waller got an interception before he lost the ball to an awesome fumble punchout. Hill had an impressive pass breakup on Jadyn Davis' sideline pass to Peyton O'Leary. Again, versatility can be key. Waller has the size to drop back and play safety, while Hill has the physicality also to play nickel.

I am not sure a "starter" will come from this group. I think we could see a famous Harbaugh scenario here where all four are considered starters and play significant snaps. We could see them rotate throughout a game, or one player gets a bigger snap share depending on the opponent. The more important point is that Michigan appears to have an answer for a big question mark on defense this season, and having depth and the ability to rotate is a problem this staff loves to have.

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