ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan football team that scrimmaged Saturday at Michigan Stadium bore only a passing resemblance to the one that will take the field Sept. 2 against East Carolina.

Even with a bunch of starters on the sideline, Michigan’s spring game helped to clarify the status of a few position battles heading into the summer. Here’s a look at the Wolverines’ projected depth chart coming out of spring practice, starting with the offense and continuing Wednesday with the defense.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Projecting Michigan's 2023 defense after the spring game

Quarterback

Starter: J.J. McCarthy (third-year junior)
Backup: Jack Tuttle (sixth-year transfer from Indiana) or Davis Warren (redshirt sophomore)
In the mix: Alex Orji (redshirt freshman)

Advertisement

The spring game didn’t show a lot of separation between Tuttle and Warren. Warren is more of a pure passer, whereas Tuttle can tuck the ball and run when he needs to. Orji has a strong arm and excels on designed quarterback runs. While the rest of the depth chart remains unsettled, McCarthy comes out of the spring as the unquestioned leader of the offense.

“You can see his confidence,” offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore said. “You can see the bravado. You can see how he carries himself, the control and command of everything in the offense. It’s turned up to that next level.”

Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle is competing for the backup QB job. (Rick Osentoski / USA Today)

Running back

Starter: Blake Corum (fourth-year senior)
Backup: Donovan Edwards (third-year junior)
In the mix: CJ Stokes (second-year sophomore), Kalel Mullings (fourth-year senior), Benjamin Hall (first-year freshman), Cole Cabana (first-year freshman)

The biggest question coming out of the spring game is whether Hall can lock down a spot as Michigan’s third or fourth running back. Despite his modest recruiting profile, Hall was the most impressive of Michigan’s early enrollees with 96 yards on 13 carries. He’s a powerful back at 235 pounds, and he showed an impressive feel for his position as an 18-year-old freshman.

“When he goes on the field, he runs like a train,” Moore said.

Stokes and Cabana didn’t play Saturday, which meant more carries for Hall, Mullings, Dunlap and Leon Franklin. Hall will have to fight to keep his spot on the depth chart, but he’s off to a strong start.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

What we learned from Michigan's spring game: 10 thoughts on standouts, questions and more

Tackle

Starting left tackle: LaDarius Henderson (fifth-year transfer from Arizona State) or Karsen Barnhart (fourth-year senior)
Backup: Jeffrey Persi (fourth-year junior)

Starting right tackle: Barnhart or Trente Jones (fifth-year senior)
Backup: Myles Hinton (fourth-year junior)

In the mix: Tristan Bounds (third-year junior)

Advertisement

Tackle is the toughest position to project at this stage, primarily because Michigan has so many moving parts. Henderson wasn’t enrolled for the spring, but if he picks up the offense and performs up to his abilities, keeping Barnhart on the right side would make sense. That would set up a stacked competition with Barnhart, Jones and Hinton in preseason camp.

There’s a lot still to be determined, but unless Bounds or Persi takes a big leap over the summer, those two are probably a year away from challenging for a starting job.

Interior offensive line

Starting left guard: Trevor Keegan (fifth-year senior)
Backup: Giovanni El-Hadi (third-year sophomore)

Starting center: Drake Nugent (fifth-year transfer from Stanford)
Backup: Greg Crippen (third-year sophomore)

Starting right guard: Zak Zinter (fourth-year sophomore)
Backup: Raheem Anderson (third-year sophomore)

In the mix: Andrew Gentry (second-year freshman), Reece Atteberry (fourth-year junior), Connor Jones (second-year freshman)

The guard spots are locked in with Keegan and Zinter. I’ll give Nugent the nod at center, though that’s based entirely on his body of work at Stanford. With Nugent limited this spring, Crippen and Anderson were the starting centers in the spring game and looked capable of challenging Nugent in camp.

With the offensive line missing so many potential contributors, the spring was mostly about getting experience for young players at different positions. A cohesive starting unit won’t take shape until preseason camp, Moore said.

“That’s when you really figure out who those guys are going to be, who’s going to help you,” Moore said. “That’s when you build the chemistry.”

Wide receiver

Starters: Cornelius Johnson (fifth-year senior), Roman Wilson (fourth-year senior), A.J. Henning (fourth-year senior)
Backups: Tyler Morris (second-year sophomore), Darrius Clemons (second-year sophomore), Peyton O’Leary (third-year sophomore)
In the mix: Semaj Morgan (first-year freshman), Fredrick Moore (first-year freshman), Cristian Dixon (third-year sophomore), Karmello English (first-year freshman)

Advertisement

It’s tough to be too concerned about a receiving corps led by three seniors, but from a depth standpoint, wide receiver isn’t as loaded as other positions on Michigan’s offense. The Wolverines can expect steady production from Johnson and Wilson, and Henning should be in line for a bigger role. Morris had a good spring but didn’t play in the spring game, so we’ll have to wait until September to see how he fits.

The question coming out of the spring game is whether O’Leary can play his way into a meaningful role. He was the best wide receiver on the field and repeatedly got the better of Amorion Walker, a player Michigan hopes will be one of its starting cornerbacks. Players who get open and catch the ball are going to play, and that seems to be O’Leary’s reputation.

Tight end

Starter: Colston Loveland (second-year sophomore)
Backup: AJ Barner (fourth-year transfer from Indiana)
In the mix: Matthew Hibner (fourth-year junior), Max Bredeson (third-year sophomore), Marlin Klein (second-year freshman)

Joel Honigford raised eyebrows at Michigan’s pro day when he said Loveland could be the best tight end ever to play at Michigan. Similar things were said about Barner at Indiana, where he followed in the footsteps of star tight end Peyton Hendershot. Michigan will miss Luke Schoonmaker and Erick All, but that doesn’t have to mean a drop-off in production from the tight ends.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

How Colston Loveland, a freshman tight end from Idaho, emerged at Michigan

“We lost all those guys who were captains and important parts of this team,” Loveland said. “That’s how it goes. They trained us to do what they do, so when they leave, we just keep climbing the ladder.”

Hibner showed his speed in the spring game by taking a slant 51 yards, though he stumbled before reaching the end zone. On a team that likes to use multiple tights, he and Bredeson should provide valuable depth.

(Top photo of Peyton O’Leary: Jaime Crawford / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2xucG5nbXxzfJFsZmlsX2WBcLnInJ%2Bin5Gjeqe7zq2ZmqScYrGmvNOhZJygkafBbr%2FPq6Cnn12ks6exzaycaA%3D%3D