Michigan football held its annual Maize and Blue Spring Game Saturday capping off the program's spring practices. Anyone who has watched these games in years past knows they can be glorified scrimmages. The energy for this was different, as you could see both teams were taking the game seriously and working hard to win. Not to mention a few creative celebrations.

A spring game is still a spring game, where few conclusions can be drawn, but the energy and vibe were great to see.

There was nothing vanilla about the playcalling including an Erick All trick play late in the first. Plenty of deep throws, and AJ Henning being used in the passing game and on end around.

The defense was collapsing and mauling ball carriers. Runners making deep cuts in the open field. Wide receivers fighting press at the line. Harbaugh set on a mission to change the culture in Ann Arbor after 2020, and after a Big Ten Championship season in 2021, Michigan isn't taking its foot off the gas.

Mike Sainristil looked the part playing nickel. Right off the bat, Cade McNamara took a shot on him with a deep pass to Andrel Anthony. Sainristil made an excellent pass breakup and shot up with the no-fly zone gesture like he'd been playing corner the entire time in Ann Arbor. There will be a learning curve as Sainristil over pursued on a Corum run when he was lined up inside. Something to watch as a team could target him when he's in the press from the nickel position. But this experiment is for real. Sainristil's path to the NFL may be in the secondary, and depth is a concern. Sainristil being able to step in would be huge for him and this defense.

Kalel Mullings played linebacker and running back in high school, and did both on Saturday. With Hassan Haskins off to the NFL, Jim Harbaugh is hoping to find gold twice seeing if Mullings can make the change as Haskins did. Our own Stephen Osentoski suggested that when Mullings first arrived he thought his future was better on offense. He looked comfortable breaking off a long run and taking on tacklers. Will be another interesting player to watch in the summer and fall as he could find a role as the third-down and short-yardage back behind Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards.

The unit with the most to replace for Michigan is the defensive line. With three players off to the NFL, including leaders of the defense Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. We have heard good things all spring about guys taking advantage of the opportunity, with starters coming into focus and strong depth developing behind.

The defensive line will always have an advantage in games like this with continuity being so crucial to the offensive line. That said, Mike Morris, Taylor Upshaw, and Kris Jenkins looked like the future leaders of the defensive front we have been hearing about. The depth was also apparent with guys like Braiden McGregor and Kechaun Bennett making plays Saturday. TJ Guy was possibly the MVP of the first half. He did an excellent job setting the edge and consuming blocks allowing other defenders to collapse on ball carriers.

Finding impact players will be important, but having enough depth to have consistent rotations and keeping the group fresh will also be important.

With Michigan dealing with so many departures the focus of the spring has been on next man up and depth. We can't draw too many conclusions from a spring game, but it was hard to not be impressed by some of the guys being called upon.

Two names I called out in my preview were early enrollees Derrick Moore and Mason Graham. Both players look the part physically and held their own in spring game action. It is hard to break through on the line as a freshman because you are competing against players who have been in a college workout program for multiple years, but it is hard to not see these guys playing and making an impact in the fall.

On offense, Darrius Clemons was a consistent target, as the speedy big receiver was running deep routes and fighting with defensive backs throughout. Late in the 3rd Alan Bowman finally connected with Clemons for a deep TD, getting the loudest reaction of the day from the crowd. Clemons stood out even during warmups, his hype machine will be set to full throughout the summer. Fellow freshman WR Amorion Walker also made a play on an underthrown ball from Davis Warren. Clemons and Walker join a crowded WR room, hoping to make an impact early in their careers in Ann Arbor.

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