Ann Arbor — During interviews with Michigan players throughout spring practice, the prevailing point they’ve made is that the Wolverines’ offense this season will be more “explosive.”
Fans will probably have to wait until the season to see how those potential fireworks, because it’s unlikely Michigan will put much on display on Saturday during the spring game at Michigan Stadium. That’s partly because they don’t want opponents to see what they’ve got, and also, the forecast indicates it will be windy and rainy, which suggests more reliance on running the ball.
This will be the first time Kyle Whittingham will take the field as Michigan’s football coach in a public setting, and it will be the first time fans will see the mostly new staff and a few of the new players via recruiting and the portal. Among those new players that will attract attention are five-star running back Savion Hiter and quarterback Tommy Carr, in the backup spot behind Bryce Underwood, and transfer receivers Jaime Ffrench and J.J Buchanan.
Michigan’s offense has more weapons in the receiver room this year, and Underwood, a starter last season as a freshman, has received more personalized instruction to work on footwork improve his throwing.
There seems to be nowhere to go but up for an offense that was woefully lacking in the pass game the last two seasons. Michigan ranked 105th nationally in passing last season, averaging 186.8 yards a game, a slim improvement from the 2024 season when Michigan ranked 130th, averaging 129.1 yards. Under offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s direction, the players said the offense clearly has more options.
“We’ve had stretches in our team move-it periods where we’ll throw a long ball and then Bryce will keep it on an option fake for like another 30-yard play,” tight end Deakon Tonielli said this week. “It’s hard to stop when you don’t know what’s going on. Everyone on the field is going to make a play and has the opportunity to make a play. It’s hard to stop that.”
Whittingham has said the spring game isn’t about overworking the starters but giving the second- and third-team players a chance to get meaningful reps. He has a strong sense of what, say, receiver Andrew Marsh, who distinguished himself in the latter half of his freshman season last year, can do, and has a good feel for returning leading rusher Jordan Marshall, so there’s not much need to get them on the field Saturday.
Tight end Hogan Hansen, who said he’s fully healthy and eager to have a breakout season, said there are “playmakers all around” among the receivers.
“I think we’ve got a lot of depth in terms of people who can go stretch the field,’ Hansen said.
Edge Dominic Nichols said from his viewpoint, Beck’s offense resembles USC last year. The Trojans gained 489 yards, including 224 rushing, against Michigan last season. Because it’s different than what most Big Ten teams run, Nichols feels that will be an advantage this fall.
“It’s an opportunity for teams to see something new that you’re not used to, which is usually always harder to play against,” Nichols said this week. “You’re looking at the formation, and you don’t really know what you’re going to get, but you still got to try to make a play and do your job the best you can.”
The potential explosiveness of Michigan’s offense will come from the variety of receivers — Marsh, Buchanan, Ffrench and Salesi Moa, among them — not to mention the contributions of the tight ends.
“We’ve been airing the ball out a lot,” Marsh said this spring. “And it’s something I’m really looking forward to. I hope everybody’s really looking forward to it. I really feel like we’re going to be dangerous this year. And really, just the ability to come out and show what we can do on the ground and in the air, it’s going to be crazy.”
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan football likely to keep ‘explosive’ offense under wraps in spring game
Reporting by Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
