ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The 2024 Michigan football season is officially underway — sort of. The Wolverines had their annual Spring Game on Saturday and the two teams were drafted by coordinators Wink Martindale (Blue team) and Kirk Campbell (Maize team).

The Maize team took down Blue with a final score of, 17-7. Here are some quick takeaways from what was seen from the press box.

QB battle:

Alex Orji and Davis Warren got the starts for their respective teams which might show you the pecking order.

Orji had a couple of errant throws to begin the afternoon, but settled in nicely. He threw a bullet to Max Bredeson for a first down on 4th-and-3 and then he found Peyton O’Leary on an out route — with nice touch. Orji capitalized on the first drive with an 18-yard scamper for a TD. It goes to show what Orji is capable of. We all knew he could run, but as long as he can continue to progess as a passer, it’s hard not to think he has an edge in the QB room.

But, Davis Warren came out looking sharp as well. He wasn’t able to lead his team to a touchdown, but he drove the Maize down the field on the second drive of the game. Warren hit tight end Deakon Tonielli for a first down after facing severe pressure on third down. He then came back in during the fourth quarter and made a throw to Kendrick Bell right on the money for a TD, and hit Moore on a short throw for a TD.

Jadyn Davis nor Jayden Denegal really turned the needle into their direction. Davis looked a little rattled early. He made a few good throws, but they didn’t turn into much. One was because of Jyaire Hill making a play on the ball against Peyton O’Leary who Davis had down the sideline.

While Denegal hit Fred Moore for a 31-yard pass in the second quarter, the ball was into the wind and under thrown a little. Denegal also threw an INT right into the direction of DJ Waller — who ended up fumbling the ball right back to the offense. He also had a few other mistakes that could’ve turned into turnovers.

As of this Spring Game, I believe the order would be:

1A. Orji

1B. Warren

3. Davis

4. Denegal

Donovan Edwards exploded, other RBs were so-so:

While Michigan wasn’t keeping live stats for us up in the press box, I’m guessing Donovan Edwards had around 30 yards on the first drive of the game on the ground. He was patient and found the whole in the line — something he struggled to do a year ago. Edwards looked like the No. 1 and there is no question about that, and it looks like he might be in store for a big year just after seeing one drive from the senior.

While Edwards really stood out, nobody else really caught my eye from the running back group. Kalel Mullings had an OK series as the starter for Maize. He wasn’t overly explosive but made a guy miss.

Neither Ben Hall or Tavierre Dunlap did much with their carries until the fourth quarter. Both young RBs had some nice runs during the that stretch, but neither did enough to shift around the RB order.

Kicking looked a little shaky:

Michigan has been solid at place kicker for years now. The Wolverines had the likes of Jake Moody and then went into the James Turner year last season. Michigan is more than likely turning to young Adam Samaha.

The lefty kicker started out by nailing a 31-yard FG in the first quarter for Maize. But his second attempt, Samaha shanked from 30 yards out as time was expiring in the half.

With how sound Michigan has been at kicker, it’s something to keep an eye on as fall camp approaches. With the Wolverines turn to the portal to find a kicker, or can Samaha get the job done?

TJ Guy looked impressive:

One name we heard plenty about this spring was Edge rusher TJ Guy. Guy has been biding his time and trying to get onto the field. It appears the fourth-year Wolverine is going to get that opportunity in 2024.

Guy, who might be the No. 3 Edge rusher on the Wolverines, had a very nice game. While Michigan wasn’t keeping stats, I believe he had two sacks. He was quick off the line, and made life hard on the Blue tackles.

With Michigan graduating Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor, it was a good sign for Michigan fans that Guy looks like a key rotational piece.

Young corners stepped up:

In the first half, Zeke Berry and Ja’Den McBurrows were flying around. Berry made a few stops on the ground while playing sound in the pass game. McBurrows made a huge stop against Ben Hall on a third down play. It was a one-on-one situation and Hall tried to make a move, but McBurrows stayed in his lane and took Hall down.

In the second half, DJ Waller had a huge series. He intercepted a pass from Jayden Denegal, but this fumbled the ball back to the offense. However, he made up for his mistake on fourth down. Waller stood up Tavierre Dunlap to get the ball back for Blue.

There’s been a ton of talk about who would step up for the Michigan secondary and all three players (Waller, McBurrows, and Berry) looked the part. I could see all three of them getting starting reps this fall with Jyaire Hill rotating in.

Starting WRs should be fine, but depth remains an issue:

Both Tyler Morris and Fred Moore had good games and both were also involved in the run game which might show you something for the season. While both of those guys were involved in the passing attack, there wasn’t much noteworthy anywhere else — until Kendrick Bell said otherwise.

We know Semaj Morgan will be just fine, but Michigan didn’t get him involved. Peyton O’Leary had a couple of catches, but is he ready to step in to a big role in 2024? Kendrick Bell made a couple of grabs, including a long TD in the fourth quarter from Davis Warren. Bell could see the field this year, but he is also raw.

The Wolverines have just four players on their roster that have game experience and Michigan could use some more experience. Would be smart for Michigan to look into the portal to find one or two WRs for depth help.