Michigan Football: 3 things we learned from Wolverines open practice

Position battles continue to play out

There should be competition at every position at a big-time program and Michigan football is no different. However, some spots have solidified starters and others don’t.

On the offensive line, UM has four spots wrapped up but the fifth is at right tackle and that’s still being determined by the competition between Andrew Stueber and Jalen Mayfield. Stueber started at the end of last season, while Mayfield has taken a big step forward as a redshirt freshman and has really grown into being a college tackle.

Stueber took the first reps Saturday but Mayfield is also right with him and that battle is one that will continue this fall. An interesting note is that Nick Eubanks appears to be the top passing option at tight end, ahead of Sean McKeon, who is also a skilled receiver and blocker.

Those two guys are essentially going to share the top spot at tight end, but Eubanks could have a big season as a receiver and he even lined up split wide in 7-on-7 drills at times. Mike Sainristil showed why he’s the top guy in the slot right now, catching a couple of passes and looking impressive returning punts. He will be a factor this season it seems like and you could see why.

Oliver Martin is another guy that had a nice day. He did drop a pass from Patterson but caught a nice throw down the middle of the field to redeem himself.