Video: 2012 Michigan Spring Game

Video: 2012 Spring Game - Every Snap

Video: Spring Game Postgame with Players

AnnArbor.com: Desmond Morgan, Jerald Robinson injured in spring game

Here are a few details (but not much) on the injuries to Desmond Morgan and Jerald Robinson from Saturday's spring game.  Robinson's seems not to be serious, and hopefully Morgan's falls in the same category.

Video: Spring Game Press Conference - Al Borges

Video: Spring Game Press Conference - Greg Mattison

Video: Spring Game Press Conference - Brady Hoke

2012 Spring Game Review - Defense

Senior WILL Brandin Hawthorne was Saturday's defensive MVP

DEFENSIVE ENDS
I thought Craig Roh looked pretty darn good at strongside end.  The starter at weakside end was Brennen Beyer, who looks significantly bigger this spring than he did in the fall.  He looked like a bona fide weakside end instead of a lanky outside linebacker.  Beyer got a good pass rush a couple times.  Meanwhile, backup weakside end Frank Clark performed solidly and made a nice hit on fullback Joey Kerridge, whom Clark chased down out of the backfield.  I also thought backup strongside end Keith Heitzman looked pretty solid.  Based on how Nathan Brink looked last year, I'm going to posit that Heitzman passes up Brink this fall.  (Brink sat out the spring game, still recovering from his broken leg.)

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
William Campbell looked alternately solid and inconsequential.  He had one or two good  plays but he just didn't seem to be going hard all the time.  He should have destroyed walk-on guard Joey Burzynski (or so I would think) but instead got stalemated too often.  Maybe the coaches are teaching him differently than I would expect, but it all seemed to start with his stance, which needs work from my perspective.  Jibreel Black looks like a matchup nightmare for a lot of offensive guards, because he's too quick to handle with any consistency.  He looks bigger than last year (although the neck roll might have had something to do with that).  It also seems that Richard Ash has taken a step forward, and I was surprised by how big backup 3-tech Chris Rock has become.  I saw glimmers of hope there for some competent rotation players.  Quinton Washington and Ken Wilkins still didn't impress me.

LINEBACKERS
I didn't pay much attention to Jake Ryan because we already know he's a good player.  Kenny Demens looked solid but unspectacular at MIKE.  Desmond Morgan left the scrimmage early after getting chopped down on a blitz; he limped to the sideline and was later carted into the tunnel.  Hopefully it was nothing serious.  Cam Gordon was Ryan's backup at SAM, and he's definitely put on some weight since last year.  Now he looks like a linebacker rather than a strong safety.  I don't think he'll surpass Ryan, but he's a very good backup.  It will be interesting to see what the coaches do with him in 2013 as a senior, because by that time, I don't think they'll be able to afford to keep him off the field.  Mike Jones and Joe Bolden played as backup middle linebackers, but neither one was particularly visible.  I saw a couple loafs out of Antonio Poole, which does not bode well for his immediate future.  Kaleb Ringer looked like he was in great shape and he made a nice tackle on Justice Hayes, but both of those guys seem to be a ways down on the depth chart.  The linebacker who impressed me most on the day was Brandin Hawthorne, who made a couple nice tackles for loss and grabbed a one-handed pick, albeit off walk-on Jack Kennedy, who floated the ball across the middle.  Hawthorne looked good at times last year, too, but he's another guy who loafs once in a while, and that seemed to get him in the dighouse.  The linebackers now have depth, which we haven't been able to say for several years.  I truly believe that Michigan has five starter-level linebackers: Ryan, Gordon, Demens, Morgan, and Hawthorne.

CORNERBACKS
J.T. Floyd started over Terrence Talbott, despite reports that Talbott had overtaken Floyd.  That was somewhat expected.  Floyd looked solid but was never tested deep.  Blake Countess made a nice pick on a late Devin Gardner throw and also made a couple nice tackles.  The backup cornerbacks did not impress me, although I don't remember seeing much out of Talbott.  Maybe he's the third guy and we'll be fine, but I don't think Raymon Taylor and Delonte Hollowell are ready.  We know Courtney Avery is pretty solid at the nickel corner, and although he pulled up on a tackle, it seemed like he was trying not to submarine the leaping receiver; if it were a game, I would be disappointed by that play, but I think he was just trying not to hurt his teammate.

SAFETIES
The starting safeties weren't really tested in the running or the passing game.  Jordan Kovacs should be good and practice reports suggest that Thomas Gordon has improved once again, but I guess we'll have to wait and see on him.  Backup free safety Jarrod Wilson needs to get stronger.  He did miss a tackle on Thomas Rawls that turned into a touchdown, but Wilson should be struggling through senioritis and ordering his prom tux right now.  Tackling 220 lb. running backs is a tough task for a safety so young.  Marvin Robinson looked solid as the backup strong safety and made a nice tackle for little or no gain in the run game.  As long as Robinson's legal troubles are behind him, I expect him to improve and be a good in-the-box safety.  He should be a good replacement for Kovacs after the latter graduates.

2012 Spring Game Highlights from Big Ten Network

2012 Spring Game Highlights

2012 Spring Game Review - Offense

Thomas Rawls (#38) looked pretty solid in today's spring game

QUARTERBACKS
Denard Robinson didn't play much.  We know what we have in Denard, and we're not going to know whether he can cut down on his interceptions until the fall.  Devin Gardner looked very athletic.  He seems to be faster and in better shape this year than last, but he struggled throwing the ball.  He tried to force some throws, but the receivers really struggled to get separation from the defensive backs.  That's probably why Gardner scrambled repeatedly, and he made the defense look silly at times.  Third stringer Russell Bellomy looked like what we've been expecting - a game manager type who can scramble a little and make check-down throws, but he seems to lack the requisite arm strength for pushing the ball downfield.

RUNNING BACKS
Fitzgerald Toussaint continues to look like a star on offense.  Backup Thomas Rawls looks faster and stronger to me than he did in the fall.  He seems like a viable #2 back and he runs angry.  You could tell when he got the ball that the defense stepped up its intensity a little bit, because those guys knew they were going to have a fight on their hands to get him down.  He did make a nice touchdown run early, but keep in mind that he ran through the tackle of backup free safety Jarrod Wilson, who should still be two or three months away from graduating high school.  Vincent Smith continues to be subpar running inside, but he caught the ball well.  To me it's a wasted rep when he's handed the ball to run up the middle.  Justice Hayes is in the same boat.  He doesn't have any mass or strength behind him.  If there's an injury to Toussaint or Rawls in the fall, the coaches are going to have to look at freshman Drake Johnson or maybe moving Hopkins back to tailback.

FULLBACKS
Hopkins and Kerridge looked pretty solid.  Michigan should be set at this position, especially with reinforcements coming in the form of Sione Houma.

WIDE RECEIVERS
As I mentioned above, the receivers really struggled to separate from the defensive backs.  We didn't see a whole lot of Roy Roundtree, but he and Jeremy Gallon looked decent.  I would not be surprised to see Gallon lead the team in receptions this season.  He's going to be a tough matchup.  After that nobody looked particularly impressive.  Jerald Robinson had an embarrassing drop, Jeremy Jackson is who he is, etc.  Games this season will continue to be won on the ground.

TIGHT ENDS
This continues to be a weak spot.  Brandon Moore didn't get any separation, and both Moore and Ricardo Miller struggled at the point of attack.  They were playing against some pretty good defenders - Craig Roh, Jake Ryan, Cam Gordon - but tight end will be a liability this season, in both the running and passing games. I don't think we'll see as many two- and three-tight end formations as we did last season.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Taylor Lewan is a very good left tackle.  The starter at left guard was Joey Burzynski.  All spring we've heard that Elliott Mealer was the front-runner for the left guard position, and I think that might still be the case.  I have no inside information on this, but I have a feeling that Burzynski's start was kind of a practical matter.  The coaches didn't want Lewan on the field much; with Michael Schofield as the primary backup at left tackle, they seemed to want Mealer to rotate in at right tackle when Schofield flipped.  Burzynski doesn't have the ability to play tackle.  Burzynski looked fair against the pass and somewhat ineffective in the running game.  Barnum blocked well, but he had two bad snaps because he failed to get the ball up to Denard before getting out of his stance.  That will be something to watch heading into the season.  Barnum also needs to speed up his shotgun snaps, which are noticeably slower than David Molk's.  He's also got to work on calling protections.  Omameh looked mostly solid but got blasted by William Campbell.  Schofield struggled some in pass protection, but picked it up as the day went on.  As far as backups go, the walk-ons played like walk-ons do, outside of Burzynski.  Graham Glasgow doesn't know how to pull.  Kristian Mateus looks downright skinny.  Erik Gunderson might be able to play in a pinch.  Chris Bryant looked solid in the running game.  Jack Miller still lacks size.  Barnum must  stay healthy this season.

Preview: Michigan vs. Michigan

William Campbell (#73) will get his chance to be The Man in the middle of Michigan's defensive line

Everyone was excited about the spring game last year to see how much Michigan would change from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke.  This year we know what to expect, and the questions are more about the minutiae of the game.  Will this guy play over that other guy?  Who's the main backup at this position?  Well, now's our chance.

Here are the things I'm most excited to see in the spring game.

Who "starts" at cornerback?  Rumors this spring have suggested that Terrence Talbott is playing with the first team, sometimes over returning starter J.T. Floyd.  I have never been a huge fan of Floyd's abilities as a corner, and I will be curious to see whether Talbott can perform when he gets the opportunity.  We haven't seen much of Talbott since 2010 when he was a true freshman, and frankly, he was a kid who should have redshirted.  How much has he improved?  I'm not rooting for Floyd to lose his job; I'm rooting for the best player to play.  I wonder which guy it will be.

How good is the defensive line?  Michigan lost three starters from last season, and the lone remaining starter is changing from weakside end to strongside end.  Nose tackle William Campbell showed flashes of brilliance last season and is penciled in as the starter this year.  Hopefully he can be consistent.  Frank Clark and Brennen Beyer are classmates who are each vying for the weakside end position.  My guess is that at least one of those two becomes a solid full-timer at some point this season.

Can the freshmen play?  I'm not expecting to see a great deal of Kaleb Ringer, but Joe Bolden is supposedly the #2 middle linebacker already and Jarrod Wilson seems to be the #2 free safety.  I don't have high hopes for Wilson to look great on Saturday because safety is a difficult position to adjust to early.  But so is middle linebacker, and the reports on Bolden have been glowing.

How good are the receivers?  I have serious concerns about the receivers' abilities to get open consistently.  Tight end Brandon Moore is likely bound to be mediocre, Roy Roundtree struggled on the outside, and Jeremy Gallon seems to be a complementary guy who's being squeezed into a primary role.  If Jerald Robinson isn't solid on Saturday, I will be very concerned going into September.

Can the offensive get anything going?  I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that the spring game is going to be a bit of a stinker.  First of all, I doubt Brady Hoke and Al Borges are going to open up the offense at all.  I think they'll be very vanilla.  With two new starters on the interior offensive line (Ricky Barnum at center, likely Elliott Mealer at left guard) and questions at receiver, I'm guessing William Campbell and the linebackers are going to feast on the #1 offense.  And remember - they won't have to tackle Denard Robinson.  They'll just have to get close enough to him to make the officials blow the whistle.

Spring Game Depth Chart*

*These are my presumptions for what you'll (hopefully) see on Saturday.  If storms hit then the game will be held inside, and it won't be open to the public.  I'm not sure whether it will be televised or not in that case, but at the very least, I would expect MGoBlue.com to put out a video.  If the weather isn't too horrible, you'll be able to find the game on the Big Ten Network at noon.

QB: Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, Russell Bellomy
RB: Fitzgerald Toussaint, Thomas Rawls, Vincent Smith, Justice Hayes
FB: Stephen Hopkins, Joey Kerridge, Paul Gyarmati
FL: Roy Roundtree, Jerald Robinson, Jeremy Jackson
SE: Jeremy Gallon, Drew Dileo
TE: Brandon Moore, Mike Kwiatkowski, Ricardo Miller
LT: Taylor Lewan, Michael Schofield**
LG: Elliott Mealer, Joey Burzynski
C: Ricky Barnum, Jack Miller
RG: Patrick Omameh, Chris Bryant
RT: Michael Schofield, Erik Gunderson

SDE: Craig Roh, Keith Heitzman, Chris Rock
NT: William Campbell, Richard Ash
DT: Jibreel Black, Quinton Washington, Ken Wilkins
WDE: Frank Clark, Brennen Beyer
SAM: Jake Ryan, Cam Gordon
MIKE: Kenny Demens, Joe Bolden, Mike Jones
WILL: Desmond Morgan, Antonio Poole, Brandin Hawthorne, Kaleb Ringer
CB: Blake Countess, Raymon Taylor, Delonte Hollowell
CB: J.T. Floyd, Terrence Talbott
FS: Thomas Gordon, Jarrod Wilson
SS: Jordan Kovacs, Marvin Robinson

**Schofield is Lewan's primary backup at left tackle.

Weekend Visitors: April 13-15, 2012

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas DE Joey
Bosa is perhaps the most important of the uncommitted
prospects to be coming to town this weekend

I'll update this list as the week continues, but here's a list of high schoolers who will be visiting for Michigan's spring game.  All players listed have Michigan offers unless otherwise noted.

Nashville (TN) Montgomery Bell DE Alex Bars: Bars is a 6'6", 250 lb. defensive end for the class of 2014.  His older brother is Blake, the incoming Michigan freshman offensive lineman.

Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas DE Joey Bosa: Bosa is a 6'5", 260 lb. strongside end and/or 3-tech tackle.  He's not very far along toward making a decision, so nothing should be expected soon.  He's a long shot to pick the Wolverines, but getting a kid on campus is a step in the right direction. (Bosa's scouting report.)

Wheaton (IL) St. Francis OG Kyle Bosch: Bosch committed to Michigan in February.

Pickerington (OH) North TE Jake Butt: Butt committed to Michigan in February.

Pickerington (OH) Central DE Taco Charlton: Charlton committed to Michigan in February.

Forestville (MD) Bishop McNamara DT Darius Commissiong: Commissiong is a 6'2", 285 lb. tackle who could be in line for a Michigan offer now that Greg Webb is off the board.  He already has offers from Iowa, Maryland, Purdue, Virginia, and several others.  He is also the teammate of 2014 offensive tackle target Damian Prince.

Massillon (OH) Washington CB Gareon Conley: Conley committed to Michigan in March.  UPDATE: Conley is not coming anymore due to taking the ACT.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech OG David Dawson: Dawson committed to Michigan in February.

Columbus (OH) Marion-Franklin WR Jaron Dukes: Dukes committed to Michigan in February.

Parker (CO) Ponderose OT Chris Fox: Fox committed to Michigan in February.

Olney (MD) Good Counsel CB Kendall Fuller: Fuller is a 6'0", 185 lb. defensive back who is generally considered to be one of the top couple corners in the country.  His linebacker teammate Dorian O'Daniel was originally supposed to come, too, but Michigan is no longer recruiting him. (Fuller's scouting report.)

Olney (MD) Good Counsel CB Kirk Garner: Garner does not have a Michigan offer, but he is being pursued by Florida State, Maryland, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, Tennessee, West Virginia, and several others.  Michigan recently extended an offer to Avon (OH) Avon cornerback Ross Douglas, so the coaches might be willing to expand their search for more defensive backs if they think Garner is worthy.  UPDATE: Garner is no longer visiting due to because the coaches have told him they're full at cornerback.

Akron (OH) Firestone WR Kevin Gladney: Gladney is a 6'1", 175 lb. wideout who has been considered by some to be on the verge of committing to Michigan.  Despite a slowly building offer list, he's held off so far.  Iowa, Michigan State, and Purdue are also after him.  UPDATE: According to Tom VanHaaren, Michigan is no longer pursuing Gladney.

Detroit (MI) Crockett TE Khalid Hill: Hill committed to Michigan in February.

Mequon (WI) Homestead DT Brandon Hines: Hines is a 6'2", 265 lb. defensive tackle from the 2014 class.  He doesn't have any offers yet, but he has shown considerable interest in the Wolverines.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech LB Gary Hosey: The 6'0", 230 lb. Hosey, a 2014 prospect, will be visiting along with some of his Cass Tech teammates.  He currently has no FBS offers.

Toledo (OH) Central Catholic QB DeShone Kizer: Kizer is a 6'4", 205 lb. quarterback from the 2014 class with offers from Bowling Green, Syracuse, and Toledo.  He's a teammate of 2013 recruits Jayme Thompson and Matt Miller.  UPDATE: Kizer will NOT be visiting Ann Arbor this weekend because he doesn't have a ride.

College Station (TX) A&M DT Christian Lacouture: Lacouture is a 6'5", 255-pounder who's somewhat similar to Bosa.  He could play either SDE or DT if he chooses Michigan, but he was previously committed to Texas A&M, a school that's still in the mix for his services.

Woodbridge (VA) Woodbridge LB E.J. Levenberry: Levenberry is a 6'3", 226 lb. linebacker who could play either MIKE or SAM at Michigan.  Michigan was his leader at one point, but after a week-long trip to Tallahassee, he now has Florida State tied at #1 with the Wolverines.  Perhaps the visit can vault Michigan back into the lead, but either way, Levenberry wants to wait until January to commit.  UPDATE: Levenberry recently announced that he plans to make his commitment in August.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech CB Jourdan Lewis: Lewis committed to Michigan in February.

Trotwood (OH) Trotwood-Madison LB Mike McCray: McCray committed to Michigan in March.

Detroit (MI) Loyola DE Malik McDowell: McDowell is a 6'6", 260 lb. defensive end in the class of 2014.  So far his only offers are from Michigan, Michigan State, and Syracuse, but Michigan appears to be the odds-on favorite.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR/S Johnny Miggins: Miggins is a 5'11", 170-pounder who could play wide receiver, safety, or possibly cornerback at the next level.  He's another class of 2014 prospect out of Cass Tech with no offers yet.

Perrysburg (OH) St. John's DE Matt Miller: Miller is a 6'5", 250 lb. strongside end whose brother Jack plays offensive line for the Wolverines.  He has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Miami, Michigan State, Purdue, and Toledo, but he appears to be a backup option for Michigan.

Warren (MI) De La Salle QB Shane Morris: Morris committed to Michigan last May.

Brookfield (WI) Central DE Chikwe Obasih: Obasih is a 6'4", 230 lb. defensive end who has not yet been offered by the Wolverines, but he does have verbal offers from Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Purdue, and Wisconsin, along with a few others.

Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral TE Jake Roh: Roh is the 6'3", 200 lb. brother of Michigan defensive end Craig Roh.  He doesn't have a Michigan offer but is sitting on Arizona, Duke, and Oregon State offers.  Jake doesn't seem to have the speed to play wide receiver at Michigan, which is his current position and where Arizona wants him to play.

Novi (MI) Catholic Central RB Wyatt Shallman: Shallman committed to Michigan in February.

Warren (OH) Howland RB DeVeon Smith: Smith committed to Michigan in March.

Peoria (IL) Manual OT Logan Tuley-Tillman: Tuley-Tillman committed to Michigan in February.

Toledo (OH) Central Catholic TE Keith Towbridge: Towbridge has not been offered by Michigan yet, but he's a 6'4", 230 lb. option if the Wolverines want to expand their search for a tight end.  The Wolverines will need to give out more tight end offers if they want to add another player at the position, since every current offeree has committed somewhere already.  He does have offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, and Purdue, along with a couple offers from smaller schools.  UPDATE: Towbridge committed to Louisville on Thursday, so he will NOT be visiting Michigan.

Crete (IL) Crete-Monee WR Laquon Treadwell: Treadwell was supposed to visit Oklahoma this weekend, but due to bad weather, he will be making the trek to Ann Arbor for the Wolverines' spring game. (Treadwell's scouting report.)

Los Angeles (CA) Loyola CB Cameron Walker: Walker is a 5'10", 180 lb. corner whose only other offer comes from San Diego State.  The coaches still seem to be actively pursuing him, and I would not be surprised if Walker commits after the visit.  UPDATE: Walker has canceled his trip after being told that the recruiting class is full at cornerback.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech WR Damon Webb: Webb is a 5'11", 170 lb. wideout who is transferring into Cass Tech this year.  He has impressed observers at some recent camps.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech LB William White: The 6'1", 215 lb. linebacker, a 2014 kid, is the son of former Detroit Lions safety William White.  He also has no offers yet.

Cleveland (OH) Glenville S Christopher Worley: Worley is a 6'2", 185 lb. safety with offers from Arkansas, Boston College, and West Virginia.  He doesn't have a Michigan offer yet, but there may be opportunities to add more depth at the safety position before the end of the recruiting cycle.  Redshirt sophomore safety Josh Furman is currently suspended from the football team, and redshirt freshman Tamani Carter has also been absent from spring practices for undisclosed reasons.