Five Michigan football storylines to watch heading into spring camp

• Michigan football is looking to improve upon their 2024 season where they finished 5-5 before winning their final three games.
• The Wolverines must replace several key starters on the offensive and defensive lines.
• The quarterback competition between transfer Mikey Keene and five-star freshman Bryce Underwood will be one of the most closely watched battles in college football.

One week from Tuesday, Michigan football will meet for first time as an official group.

After three consecutive Big Ten championship seasons from 2021-23, which culminated with the national championship in January 2024. Michigan took a step back last season, opening the year 5-5, before a furious finish to the year, hammering Northwestern before upsetting Ohio State and Alabama to end the regular season.

The roster has turned over in a major way, but still head coach Sherrone Moore and company look to carry the momentum from one season to the next.

These are five storylines to watch when Michigan breaks camp on March 18.

Quarterback battle

For the second year in a row Michigan will enter spring camp without knowing who is starting at quarterback. However there’s certainly a different feel in the air about the battle this year after the quarterbacks in the room last year threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (11).

One option this time around is Mikey Keene, a fifth-year grad transfer (Fresno State) who played for two years with the Bulldogs after he spent two years at the University of Central Florida. Keene has played in 39 career games and completed 67.8% of his passes (793-for-1170) for 65 scores and 28 interceptions.

He even has one carrer start in Ann Arbor, last year for the Bulldogs, when he completed 22 of 36 (61.1%) of his passes for 235 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in a 30-10 loss.

But the real reason there’s buzz is Bryce Underwood, the five-star phenom who comes to Ann Arbor from just up the road in Belleville as the nation’s highest rated high school prospect in the country. Seen as a potential future No. 1 overall pick in the NFL, Underwood threw for 2,509 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 71.8% of his passes to go with more than 600 rushing yards and another six rushing scores.

Underwood is the most hyped recruit to come to Ann Arbor in the history of Michigan football and all eyes will be on him to revive the room.

Re-stocking the offensive line

Quarterback wasn’t the only issue on offense last year. From 2021-23, U-M twice won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s offensive line before they finished as a semifinalist in 2023. Last year, however, was a different story, as the unit struggled to create room on the ground (averaging 157.2 rushing yards per game) and through the air (129.1 yards per game).

Additionally, U-M lost a number of starters from last year’s group, including Myles Hinton to the NFL Draft, Josh Priebe to the transfer portal and a host of depth pieces in the unit via the transfer portal including Dom Giudice, Andrew Gentry, Raheem Anderson and Tristan Bounds.

Michigan did receive good news with Greg Crippen, Gio El-Hadi and Evan Link all opting to return and has added some proven pieces at lower college levels to the ranks. That includes the top-ranked pass blocking tackle from the FCS in Brady Norton (Cal Poly) and a national champion from Division II Ferris State, 6-foot-5, 335-pound Lawrence Hattar.

Also keep an eye on Andrew Sprague and Blake Frazier to push and crack the rotation.

Wide receiver reinforcements

The 2024 season may have been the most trying season for the wide receiver position in Ann Arbor during the modern era. U-M did not have a single receiver with 250 yards or more than two scores, as Tyler Morris led the room with 248 yards on 23 receptions and two touchdowns.

Michigan’s next three leading receivers in Semaj Morgan (27 catches for 131 yards), Fredrick Moore (11 catches for 128 yards) and Peyton O’Leary (10 catches for 102 yards) combined to have 48 grabs for 363 yards and nearly one-third of that production came in the bowl game when Morris and leading tight end Colston Loveland sat out the finale.

U-M also added a proven weapon in Indiana’s Donaven McCulley, who has 66 career catches for for 834 yards and eight touchdowns, not to mention incoming freshman Andrew Marsh, who is the Wolverines’ highest-rated recruit at the position since Donovan Peoples Jones a decade ago.

It would be almost impossible for Ron Bellamy’s room to have less production this season than a year ago — Michigan was the only power conference team in the country without a 40-yard pass play — which would go a long way on the march toward a potential College Football Playoff berth.

Running back rotation

Michigan lost its top two running backs from a season ago who combined for more than 1,500 yards and 16 scores. Kalel Mullings ran 185 times for 948 yards (5.1 yards per touch) and 12 touchdowns while Donovan Edwards added 128 carries for 589 yards (4.6 yards per carry) and four scores, but there is plenty of reason for optimism in the room.

Jordan Marshall was named the MVP of the Reliaquest Bowl Game after he ran 23 times for 100 yards vs. Alabama and will be a name to watch in the room, alongside Ben Hall who’d been third in line behind the seniors for much of 2024,.

The biggest addition is former Alabama back Justice Haynes. He split time last year, yet made the most of his work, running 79 times for 448 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns.

Though he didn’t play vs. U-M to end 2024, he did to start the year, running four times for 31 yards when U-M defeated the Tide 27-20 in OT of the 2024 Rose Bowl. Behind a re-stocked offensive line and with a more dynamic passing game to keep defenses honest, the Wolverines appear lined up to have a much better year on the ground.

Defensive line shuffle

For all the holes which need to be filled on U-M’s roster (as happens with every roster in America based on year-over-year turnover) there’s not a single group that can compare to the defensive line.

An argument could be made the Wolverines lost the two best defensive tackles in the country, as Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant are both expected to be first round selections in next month’s NFL draft. U-M also lost its most productive player along the line in senior edge rusher and captain Josaiah Stewart.

Defensive line coach Lou Esposito’s two biggest offseason acquisitions came via the portal, landing Tre Williams (Clemson) and Damon Payne (Alabama) in addition to a highly regarded recruiting class in Julius Holly, Bobby Kanka, Nate Marshall, Travis Moten and Benny Patterson. 

But if this line is to be great, it will be on the most proven returnees like TJ Guy, Derrick Moore and Rayshaun Benny to improve their play and for players like Dominic Nichols, Enow Etta, Trey Pierce and Cameron Brandt to prove why they’ve been raved prior to this year.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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