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Spring Game 2024: 5 Things to Watch

Here are five things I’ll be watching in the 2024 spring game:

1. How does Alex Orji throw the ball? Third-year quarterback Alex Orji seems to be the most likely [currently rostered and healthy] guy to start behind center this fall. At 6’3″ and 236 lbs., we know he can run. We saw him do it at various times during the championship run in 2023. What we didn’t see at all in 2023 is Orji passing the ball. Footwork, accuracy, and touch are all in question. I don’t expect to see him run the ball a whole lot, because running a QB when they can’t be tackled is kind of unfair and boring. If/when he has time to throw, how does he look? Can he feather the ball or does he just throw it on a line? Does he get his feet lined up properly to throw, or are they all over the place? What we see might indicate whether Michigan needs to dip into the portal for a potential starter in the fall.

2. Who’s the “other” corner? We know Will Johnson has one cornerback spot locked down for this fall. If a currently rostered player wins the job across from him, it will likely be either Jyaire Hill or D.J. Waller. Waller got more playing time in the fall, but when Hill enrolled early last spring and was flying around, I thought he looked like a potential future star. Michigan still might look to the transfer portal to help out at a fairly thin position, but it would still be nice to see progress from Hill and Waller.

Hit the jump for more.

Visitors: 2024 Spring Game

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The following list of players is mostly a group of players expected to be in town for the spring game; however, there are a few in the list who visited during the week leading up to the game.

2025

Kamar Archie – LB – Princeton (NJ) Hun School: Archie is a 6’1″, 215 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #26 linebacker, and #229 overall. He visited Michigan earlier this spring, too, and was one of the first visitors to the program under its new leadership.

Iverson Howard – RB – Gaithersburg (MD) Quince Orchard: Howard is a 5’10”, 195-pounder with offers from Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, and Penn State, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #32 running back, and #379 overall. He also has an official visit set for Michigan at the beginning of June, along with one to FSU in mid-June.

Marco Jones – DE – Danville (CA) San Ramon Valley: Jones is a 6’5″, 230-pounder with offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and USC, among others. He’s a 4-star, the #15 edge, and #150 overall.

Bobby Kanka – DT – Howell (MI) Howell: Kanka is committed to Michigan.

Hit the jump for more.

2024 Season Countdown: #121 Jack MacKinnon

Name: Jack MacKinnon
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 244 lbs.
High school: Sarasota (FL) Cardinal Moooney
Position: Linebacker
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #39
Last year: I did not rank MacKinnon. He redshirted.
TTB Rating: N/A

MacKinnon was a preferred walk-on in the class of 2023. A high school defensive end (he had 58 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks as a senior in 2022), he was originally committed to play baseball at USF. But according to this article (LINK), Jack Harbaugh saw him play football and recommended him to the Michigan coaching staff as a PWO.

I like MacKinnon’s high school film, but he’s now listed as a linebacker. Can he be a true linebacker at 6’4″ and 244 pounds? Or would he potentially be better off trying to grow into a stand-up edge player like Jaylen Harrell? Either way, he’s unlikely to play this early in his career at Michigan. I could potentially see him playing in Ann Arbor down the road, but he also seems like a prime candidate to transfer at some point for a clearer path to playing time. Regardless, he’s on Michigan’s roster for now and should be a solid scout team player for the time being.

Prediction: Backup linebacker

2025 Recruiting Update: April 16, 2024

OFF THE BOARD

Dallas (TX) Skyline linebacker Elijah Barnes (4-star, #13 LB, #98 overall) committed to Texas.

Denton (TX) Ryan offensive tackle Marcus Garcia (4-star, #29 OT, #308 overall) committed to Texas A&M. Garcia visited Michigan earlier this spring.

Rome (GA) Rome linebacker Jaedon Harmon (4-star, #23 LB, #177 overall) committed to Alabama.

Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee offensive guard Justin Hasenhuetl (4-star, #10 IOL, #196 overall) committed to Georgia Tech. He’s a teammate of 2025 tight end Marshall Pritchett, who recently picked North Carolina over Michigan, and both attend the alma mater of Michigan tight end Marlin Klein.

Corona (CA) Centennial quarterback Husan Longstreet (4-star, #5 QB, #44 overall) committed to Texas A&M.

Washington (OK) Washington tight end Nate Roberts (4-star, #5 TE, #118 overall) committed to Ohio State.

Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy wide receiver Raiden Vines-Bright (4-star, #43 WR, #318 overall) committed to Washington.

MISCELLANEY

Here’s a list of visitors from this past weekend (LINK).

Howell (MI) Howell defensive tackle Bobby Kanka (4-star, #41 DL, #361 overall), a Michigan commit, has set two other official visits to Michigan State and Tennessee. He remains committed to Michigan but is exploring his options.

Transfer Portal Shopping List

The transfer portal opens up on Tuesday, April 16, and lots of schools are going to be shopping. With spring games out of the way for many programs – and Michigan’s coming up this Saturday – we’re enough of the way through spring ball to be aware of some roster deficiencies going into the fall.

Here are the top three positions Michigan should be looking for in the transfer portal prior to August camp:

1. QUARTERBACK
I know there are some big Alex Orji fans out there, but . . . I’m not one of them. At least not yet. Orji was a project coming out of high school, and in his second season in a Michigan uniform, he did not attempt a single pass. Yes, he can run at 6’3″ and 236 pounds (15 carries, 86 yards, 1 touchdown in 2023), but I’m on the record as a Passing QB Enthusiast. While I’m not a proponent of statuesque quarterbacks, championship teams have good passers and decision-makers, not run-first quarterbacks. I don’t think Michigan has the roster to win an FBS championship in 2024, anyway, but I don’t think they’re going to hit their ceiling without finding a quarterback who can pass the ball efficiently. Some of the big names have already found a new home, but perhaps the Wolverines can find the 2024 version of Jake Rudock, a solid passing quarterback who led Michigan to ten wins back in 2015. Others in the running are seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle and redshirt sophomore Jayden Denegal, but Tuttle had shoulder surgery and Denegal needs some polish since he’s not quite as dangerous as a runner as Orji.

Hit the jump for more.