Michigan's spring game was exciting if you're a fan of defense. Points were hard to come by as the Maize team scored the only touchdown late to win the spring game 7-6.
There were positives and negatives, as well as overreactions. It's easy to put too much weight on a spring game, which is really just a glorified practice. There were 15 total in the spring.
This was just one. Keep that in mind as we look at the biggest winners and losers from Saturday's spring game, starting with the winners.
1. Tommy Carr
Nobody made a bigger impression than Tommy Carr. The true freshman completed 21 of 30 passes for 143 yards. He also ran for 59 and led the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
The four-star quarterback, who is 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, certainly looked like a future starting quarterback. He moves better than expected, and the most impressive part of his game was the decision-making.
Carr might not have the talent of Bryce Underwood, but he did have a better spring game.
2. Savion Hiter
The five-star freshman was the talk of the spring. He rushed for 44 yards against Michigan's defense in the spring game, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt.
Hiter looks like an absolute beast. He's already gained 20 pounds of muscle and feels like he will be hard for defenders to bring down on their own.
That was the case on Saturday. Like Carr, Hiter didn't earn a starting job or anything, but he showed everyone why Kyle Whittingham has been singing his praises.
3. The defensive line
Between Nate Marshall, Enow Etta, Deyvid Paleplae, Trey Pierce, Lugard Edokpayi and Travis Moten, there were some really solid performances.
Michigan football dominated on the defensive line without its best pass rusher. Bryce Underwood was sacked twice in the first quarter.
There was some concern about EDGE/DT depth, but if we learned one thing during the spring, it's that there is no shortage of talent in the trenches on defense.
Now, the losers.
1. Bryce Underwood
This spring game doesn't mean much long-term, but it would have been nice to see Underwood play with confidence. He didn't get the best pass protection, but also struggled with accuracy.
Underwood was just 3-of-9 for 22 yards. He also just played the first quarter, so it's not like he had a chance to get a rhythm after a slow start. Whittingham didn't sound worried at all after.
Bryce does need to play better, though.
2. Evan Link
When you play against yourself, every positive play is also a negative. Marshall, a top-50 overall recruit, who was a freshman last season, looked great on his sack. Evan Link didn't.
It was a reminder of why Link, despite starting double-digit games at left tackle, needs to play on the inside at guard for the Wolverines in 2026.
Link will be fine if Michigan needs him at tackle, but with Andrew Sprague, Blake Frazier, and Andrew Babalola, who is expected to be 100 percent by the start of the season, it shouldn't.
3. No. 1 wide receivers
No need to overreact, but Andrew Marsh and J.J. Buchanan were held without a catch. You can credit the coverage. It was good, and neither was on the field much, yet, Michigan football fans probably walked away a little disappointed to hear about them all spring, then not see either catch a pass.
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