Michigan Football: 5 things to watch in spring practice

Spring practice starts Friday for Michigan football and here is a list of some of the key things you need to keep an eye on.

It seems like forever since the Michigan football team was on the field, but the reality is that it was only a couple months ago. Next weekend, it will be three months since the Outback Bowl debacle against South Carolina. But don’t mind that, it’s time to push ahead with a fresh start.

And that is what Michigan football will do this week. The Wolverines have some new coaches, a new quarterback (hopefully) and a lot of optimism. Yes, UM lost some key players to graduation, but the majority of the starters are back.

Maurice Hurst, Mason Cole and Mike McCray are the biggest departures. Yet plenty of new stars have the chance to emerge. One of those is incoming transfer Shea Patterson. The former Ole Miss quarterback will get his first action in a winged helmet the next weeks and even though the NCAA hasn’t determined if he can play next season, he will at least get to play in spring football.

That’s one thing to watch, but there are a lot of others. Michigan football has a talented roster and there is competition just about everywhere: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, secondary and basically just about everywhere.

Guys are not just fighting for starting jobs, but a spot on the two deep. Freshman are battling for a chance to play right away, instead of redshirting and for the guys that came early and enrolled, that starts Friday.

Spring practice is always an exciting time and here is a primer with a look at five things to watch in the next few weeks.