Spring has come and gone for the Michigan Wolverines after they had their annual Spring Game this past weekend. There were several players who didn’t play — or play much — during the game, but even though some players played sparingly and the offensive playcalling didn’t show everything, there was some good to takeaway from the Wolverines’ offense.

We know that Michigan will look to add some talent via the transfer portal at some point in time, but going with what the Wolverines currently have to offer, I’m going to predict what the Michigan offense will look like when it takes the field Week 1 against Fresno State.

Quarterback:

Starter: Alex Orji

Backup: Jack Tuttle OR Davis Warren

In the hunt: Jayden Denegal and Jadyn Davis

It was clear what the pecking order was for the quarterback position. Alex Orji and Davis Warren got the starts for their respective teams while Jayden Denegal and Jadyn Davis came in second as the backups. The most obvious thing is that the young freshman, Jadyn Davis, is the future for Michigan — but likely won’t start Year 1 for the Wolverines.

With that out of the way, I think Orji has the lead — as of now. He started out slow this past Saturday missing to routine throws, but Orji settled in nicely and completed 13-of-18 throws and looked pretty good for the most part. What gives Orji the edge is his running ability. During the first quarter, Orji scored on an 18-yard TD, and could’ve had another one late in the fourth quarter but it got called back.

We didn’t see Jack Tuttle play, he is going through something injury wise. But he is the most experienced QB on the roster entering his seventh season. I’m not sure if Tuttle will start, but he does provide valuable insurance as a backup and as another coach on the sideline.

While I view Tuttle more as that ‘backup’ type, it’s hard not to give a longer look at Davis Warren. Warren looked polished and sharp during the Spring Game throwing for 136 yards and two touchdowns. However, this is the second Spring Game in a row he has shined, but last season, Warren was 0-for-5 with an INT when he got a chance.

I’m not 100% certain Michigan won’t look into the portal if a big QB would enter. But I do believe Michigan believes it can win games with either Orji, Warren, or Tuttle.

Running back:

Starter: Donovan Edwards

Backup: Kalel Mullings

In the hunt: Ben Hall, Jordan Marshall, Tavierre Dunlap, Cole Cabana

The order here is pretty straight forward, the only question might be who gets running back No. 3 reps.

Donovan Edwards is back for his final season in Ann Arbor and he looked extremely good on Saturday for Michigan. He ran for 33 yards on six carries and he looked like prime Dono. The way Michigan wants to run the ball, he should be in store for a big season.

Kalel Mullings didn’t look overly impressive on Saturday, but there is no reason to believe he won’t have a solid season as the No. 2 ball carrier. During the 2023 season, Mullings rushed for 222 yards and averaged over six yards a carry. Mullings should be that ‘thunder’ to Edwards ‘lightning’.

Out of the other backs, arguably, Tavierre Dunlap looked the best for Michigan. But Dunlap has struggled getting onto the field for the Wolverines. He has 21 career attempts in three seasons for Michigan. While Dunlap might get his opportunities, it’s hard to believe Ben Hall and Jordan Marshall won’t get bigger opportunities. The Wolverines really like second-year Ben Hall who exploded onto the scene last year during Michigan’s Spring Game. Marshall, an incoming freshman, was highly rated and was Mr. Ohio last season during his senior year. Hall and Marshall are more than likely the future of the Michigan backfield and I believe they will fight for that No. 3 job.

Wide Receiver:

Starters: Tyler Morris, Semaj Morgan, Fred Moore

Backups: Peyton O’Leary, Kendrick Bell, Dale Chesson

In the hunt: Channing Goodwin, I’Marion Stewart

The starters for Michigan should be just fine. The Wolverines have plenty of ‘gadget’ get-the-ball-into-their-hands type of players. Tyler Morris and Semaj Morgan are fast with the football and can be just a play a way from scoring a touchdown. We haven’t seen a ton from Fred Moore yet, but he was extremely impressive during the Spring Game and could be the Cornelius Johnson type of outside receiver with his 6-foot-1 frame.

But the concern regarding the Michigan receivers is the depth.

The Wolverines have just four players on their roster that has game experience and they are lacking serious experience. O’Leary has been talked about the past few springs, but hasn’t been on the field much during game time. His role should expand and maybe even Kendrick Bell — who caught a TD during the Spring Game. But after O’Leary and Bell, Michigan would be relying on walk-on WR Dale Chesson or true freshmen Channing Goodwin or I’Marion Stewart.

It’s hard to believe Michigan won’t grab one or two receivers from the portal this spring. The ideal situation would be for the Wolverines to get a couple big-bodied playmakers.

Tight End/ H-Back:

H-Back: Max Bredeson

Starting TE: Colston Loveland

Backup TE: Marlin Klein

In the hunt: Deakon Tonielli, Zach Marshall, Hogan Hansen, Brady Preiskorn

Starting off with the H-back/fullback position, it’s all Max Bredeson and he’s only getting better. We seen Bredeson get involved in the passing game this past Saturday and that would be some added value to the Michigan passing attack. Bredeson is an elite blocker and a great teammate.

Switching to the tight end, Colston Loveland will be high on draft boards entering his junior season. Arguably the best tight end in the county, Loveland should see a high dosage of targets from whomever starts at QB. He was second on the team with 45 receptions in ’23 and that number will certainly rise in ’24.

Behind Loveland, Michigan has a ton of young and talented players. Marlin Klein has been talked about the most and he looked the part during the Spring Game. Klein led the team with four receptions this past weekend and the 6-foot-6 junior will have a big role on the team this year — much like AJ Barner a year ago.

The Wolverines have plenty of other young options behind both Klein and Loveland. Hogan Hansen and Zach Marshall played plenty during the Spring Game and will probably fight for that No. 3 spot.

Offensive Line:

Starters (L-R): Myles Hinton, Josh Priebe, Greg Crippen, Giovanni El-Hadi, Andrew Gentry

Backups: Evan Link, Nathan Efobi, Raheem Anderson, Tristan Bounds, Jeff Persi

In the hunt: Dominick Giudice, Connor Jones, Blake Frazier, Jake Guarnera

Even though Michigan lost six offensive linemen from last season’s national championship squad, it feels like the Wolverines won’t skip a beat. Every projected starter — besides one — has had plenty of game experience. Myles Hinton was a starter at Stanford and has started at Michigan. Josh Priebe was an All-Big Ten player at Northwestern. Both Greg Crippen and Gio El-Hadi have played games with the Wolverines.

The biggest question mark is that right tackle position. But if the Spring Game says anything — Andrew Gentry has the inside track to start. Gentry started at RT for the Blue team. Jeff Persi was expected to compete with Gentry for RT, but Persi started at RG for the Maize team while Tristan Bounds started at RT for Maize.

The only concern with the offensive line will be the depth. While most of the starters have had valuable experience, most of the backups have not. Even though they might not have much game experience, some of the players have been in the system for a few years like both Persi, Bounds, Raheem Anderson, and Connor Jones.