Michigan football had its annual spring game on Saturday. There were some good and bad performances, and there are still plenty of question marks for Kyle Whittingham's first team in Ann Arbor. However, some new concerns that have come up as a result of the spring game are unwarranted. Let's take a look at three of them.
1. Bryce Underwood's job isn't safe
This is far and away the biggest overreaction coming out of the spring game. Yes, Underwood did not perform as well as fans hoped he would. 3-9 is not a good stat line for a quarterback of his caliber, and he didn't look great. On the other hand, freshman QB Tommy Carr was 21-30 with 143 yards and 59 more on the ground, an excellent performance. Some have suggested that Carr could push Underwood for the starting quarterback job.
Now, it's definitely not impossible for Carr to take Underwood's job. He could have the it factor that forces him to be put in the game. But to say that after the spring game, in which starters were incredibly limited, is very premature. Especially given the fact that Underwood has had to completely shift away from last years offense and embrace a new system.
While it would be very concerning if Underwood were to perform how he did in the spring game during the regular season, there are nearly 4.5 months until then. Vast improvements are going to be made between now and then. Bryce Underwood will, barring something completely unseen, be the starting quarterback for Michigan on September 5th against Western Michigan. And he will look much better than he did on April 18th.
2. The offense will hold back the team
When you see a 7-6 final score, it's tempting to think that the offense is going to be a problem. Scoring just one touchdown is defintely not eye-opening, but it's also not a reason for concern. The biggest reason to not be concerned is that the entire starting offense was never on the field together. It's nearly impossible to judge a team when the starters are barely playing, and aren't even on the same team.
Even with the lack of points, the offense showed some promise. With Tommy Carr running the ball, we clearly saw that QB runs are going to be a big part of the offense. Obviously the staff didn't want to put Bryce Underwood in any situations where he might get hurt, but it's clear that's going to be an important part of the offense.
There were also some promising individual performances. Savion Hiter looks like a superstar in the making and had some impressive plays, having 10 carries for 44 yards. Salesi Moa and Jaime Ffrench also played well at the wide receiver position.
Once the entire starting offense is playing an entire game together, things should look much better. The offense should be the strength for Michigan football in 2026.
3. The offensive line isn't good enough to compete for a championship
Throughout the offseason, most of the questions have been related to the defense. There have been questions about the depth and talent of the front seven, and many were concerned that the defensive line wouldn't be up to Michigan's standards, especially with All-American Utah transfer John Henry Daley recovering from injury. On Saturday, the defensive line looked dominant.
They had their way with Michigan's offensive line, leading to fresh concerns about the offensive line's ability. There's been a good amount of hype related to the offensive line, with the hiring of Jim Harding and the retention of just about every lineman. It can, and arguably should, be a strength for the team. On Saturday, it wasn't. Similarly to concern #2, however, that can be attributed in part to the starters not all playing together.
Chemistry is incredibly important on the offensive line. When guys are forced to play with different combinations, it can throw off their rhythm. Along with that, not all of Michigan's starting-caliber linemen were healthy. Andrew Babalola and Evan Link are still recovering from injury, and both are expected to at least battle for a starting spot. While the offensive line is clearly still a work in progress, it is definitely not the time for concern. Four more months to improve and get healthy should do wonders for this unit.
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