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.

How does the quarterback battle look? Who else is standing out on offense?

M&BR goes position-by-position on offense to break down what was on display during the game.

To take sample size into account, was Jayden Denegal's performance an indicator that Alex Orji and Davis Warren are steps ahead in the quarterback race? Possibly. Offensive coordinator Kirk Campbell had been open after the game about Denegal have a poor start to spring but came along the final two weeks of spring practice.

Since the public, media included only saw one small fragment of Denegal's spring, the clear takeaway is that Orji and Warren appear set to be the likeliest candidates to get considerable looks as the starting quarterback.

Orji had his moments during the game, making a handful of good sideline throws with the appropriate touch on his passes. He certainly settled in once he had a few passes under him and looked good at times. His ability to escape from the pocket and create his own plays with his legs is certainly a wrinkle he can add to this game, as we've seen last year.

It's clear that Warren looked the most consistent on Saturday. He was steady in the pocket and was able to deliver some passes on time, including a deep throw to Deakon Tonielli where he had to throw fading backward and a touchdown strike to Kendrick Bell on a deep ball.

The quarterback competition wasn't decided on Saturday, with plenty more to come once fall camp rolls around.

A lot to like from the running backs yesterday. Donovan Edwards is Donovan Edwards, who looked like he found his patience and was able to hit a few holes in the limited reps he received during the game.

Kalel Mullings will obviously be a factor as RB2 but also had limited reps.

RB3 is where things could get interesting 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 bruising back, who ran with physicality on Saturday. Tavierre Dunlap also had his moments where he was able to find holes and gash the defense for some good yardage on the ground.

While Edwards is elite, the depth behind him appears to be capable of spelling him and not having to be a guy who runs 30 times a game.

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

It appears that some are on their way.

I don't consider Marlin Klein "depth" at the position, as he will be used a considerable amount with the starting offense and will be a factor. Klein looks the part physically and made some nice plays in the passing game. He has been described as having elite athleticism which will make him a match-up nightmare for opposing defenses this season.

For 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 a big chunk play at one point in the game. Tonielli and Marshall were two players the staff hoped would take a step forward during spring, both had a good day.

The major takeaway for the receiver position is that depth via the transfer portal needs to be addressed. While there's nothing wrong with the top-line players at receiver, depth is currently paper thin and the program simply cannot afford any more losses in its current state. Campbell admitted as much after the spring game, saying the program would like to address depth through the portal.

As for those who participated, Tyler Morris will be U-M's leading receiver this season. His ability to find space in the short to intermediate route game was evident as he made a few plays. Moore also appears ready to make the next step in his game as well. Breaking off a route when the play broke down to find open field and to carve his way through the defense for a score is a very encouraging sign. The more playmakers who can create their own luck, the better.

Kendrick Bell is a fascinating prospect. Campbell said after the game that he is a year behind in his development compared to Ronnie Bell. So where does that leave him in the rotation? He certainly seems like he has a role. However, physically, another year of development could help him immensely. Depending on what the depth looks like come fall camp, there could be a chance for him to see some time early on.

This group is harder to talk about as you didn't see Josh Priebe and Gio El-Hadi participate and the group was fragmented across two teams.

I can only discuss what we saw on Saturday and the offensive line had its moments of good and bad. The group was able to get some push for nice chunk rushes of five yards or more. Pre-snap penalties were limited but some were called, something U-M wasn't called much on last season. Holding calls were limited and the protection had moments where it broke down, especially when it came to protecting Denegal, which threw off his process quite a few times. Is it a case of the back ups having a bad day or the defensive line just being elite? Probably somewhere in the middle.

Not going to jump to conclusions until we see the starting five together come fall.

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