Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh discussed this past Saturday's spring game on today's 'Attack Each day' podcast, and singled out several players who stood out to him during the festivities.
He also dished out some advice he would give to student-athletes who are considering leaving college early.
We have the highlights below:
Jim Harbaugh, on Saturday's Spring Game Festivities and the Players who Stood out:
"First of all, we got a lot of great feedback on how our players stayed afterward and signed autographs with the kids and were engaged.
"We hit a lot of situations on the field throughout the day from goal line to red zone to moving the ball, so there was a lot of good football — we ran about 120 plays and everybody who was dressed got a chance to play.
"It was good to see our fans get a glimpse of the guys we'd been talking about all spring.
"[Freshman tight end] Erick All is a name we'd been mentioning who played well — he has such good hands and can really catch the ball.
"[Freshman receiver] Mikey Sainristil also made some plays — we have such high expectations for him and it was great to see him working hard.
"[Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle] Donovan Jeter made some plays as well and is getting his conditioning better — he can play several plays now without having to come out.
"[Sophomore wideout] Ronnie Bell had his best day and is putting it all together — he's knowing where to line up and is being consistently good practice after practice. He's someone we'll be able to count on.
"[Redshirt sophomore quarterback] Dylan McCaffrey can sure run and get out and go, and has explosive plays day after day. We saw that ability in the games last year, because it doesn't always show in practice.
"I was impressed with all the quarterbacks because they all played well. [Senior] Shea Patterson, Dylan McCaffrey, [redshirt freshman] Joe Milton and [freshman] Cade McNamara — pretty much everything each of them did was good. Each had one play they'd like to have back though, whether it was a misread or Joe Milton's pick — he threw it right to [redshirt freshman viper Mike] Barrett!
"As a young quarterback, you sometimes know you're going to throw it right to the wrong player but just can't stop yourself. It takes time to task to change that — Joe was in motion and couldn't stop.
"Shea also had an overthrow and Cade an errant throw, but they all had big plays too.
"[Redshirt sophomore wideout] Oliver Martin, Ronnie Bell, Mike Sainristil and [redshirt sophomore receiver] Tarik Black all played well. Tarik is still doing good things but we want him to take that next step and become a detailed player with his technique. Nobody is a finished product yet, but he's in position to take another step.
"Our short yardage running game needs to get better, so there will be an emphasis on running the ball inside in our last two practices because we're not playing with the pad level and the strike we need to.
"Tuesday's inside drill will be amped up in a big way."
Jack Harbaugh, Discussing the Spring Game:
"Saturday's experience was one of the highlights since we've been back in Ann Arbor and around the program. I ran into a mother and her two-month old son and you could just see the excitement on his face — he looked at me with the biggest smile.
"I also heard one kid say it was the best day of his entire life.
"As for the game itself, Dylan McCaffrey was so thin when he first got here, but he's really filled out — he has the body frame of [New England Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady.
"I also liked how our guys were getting separation down the field — some of those plays would have been touchdowns if the passes would have been laid in there.
"We're getting close to hitting those deep balls."
Jim Harbaugh, on the Advice he Would Give to Players who are Considering Leaving College Early:
"I keep it simple — get your degree. Once you have that, then it's time to leave college and move on with life's next endeavor, whether it be professional sports or something else.
"One of my favorite TV shows is Kung Fu, where they say, 'When you can snatch the pebble from my hand, then it's time for you to leave.'
"I see a trend where students are looking at college as just a time to book it and bide their time to start their own company, but it's actually a period to put your shoulder to the grindstone, get an education, prove yourself and get proper training.
"You can then make a name for yourself in the business world."
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