Spring game preview: Michigan
Michigan won't be playing a dozen or so key players, but it's still a big opportunity for Kyle Whittingham's first squad, in front of fans for the first time.
The Kyle Whittingham era in Ann Arbor will move in front of fans for the first time this Saturday for the Michigan spring game at Michigan Stadium.
The teams will take the field around 2 p.m with the scrimmage beginning at 2:15 p.m.
It’s been a spring renewal for the Wolverines, who spoke of intensified strength and conditioning in the winter and a heightened sense of discipline around the program as Whittingham and his staff set forth on Year 1 in Ann Arbor.
Before getting into some spring game preview, read Mitten Football’s covering on the Wolverines this offseason.
Andrew Graham
Andrew Graham
Let’s dig in.
Who isn't playing, and will Bryce Underwood be one?
Whittingham said earlier in spring that he doesn’t plan on playing a dozen to 18 of the top players on the team. This seems less like sandbagging and more like a depth-building proposition, but not showing a full hand prior to the season has its benefits, too. It also protects from a crucial injury in a scrimmage.
Either way, it’s unclear who will be sitting out, but the general trend seems to be players with lots of reps and experience that aren’t going to prove much in a live scrimmage opportunity; concurrently, Whittingham and Co. want to see the 2s and 3s and give them more reps to develop and shine.
The best bet right now is that veterans who produced either at Michigan or Utah last season are probably safe bets to not play, along with some injured guys like John Henry Daley (recovering from an Achilles) and Rod Moore (managing his surgically repaired knee).
So if the likes of Jordan Marshall, Andrew Marsh, Smith Snowden, Jake Guarnera and Trey Pierce, for example, aren’t playing Saturday, there’s a reason — and it's indicative that they’re among the players Michigan expects to count on come fall.
The big wildcard will be quarterback Bryce Underwood, who by all accounts has taken well to the new offense through the spring and is developing well with quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer and offensive coordinator Jason Beck. He started all of 2025, but could surely benefit from all the reps he can get.
Whether or not Underwood plays, expect to see plenty of Tommy Carr, who Whittingham has said could be the backup if games started right now.
Filling out the front seven
Michigan’s got some well-established pieces on the defensive line in Cam Brandt, Enow Etta and Pierce, plus the additions of Jonah Lea’ea and Daley, but the linebacking corps and overall depth of the front seven are a bit murky.
Chase Taylor has gotten strong reviews this offseason at linebacker and figures to be part of the mix of the returning linebackers, along with Troy Bowles and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng. Michigan also added Nate Staehling from NDSU, Max Alford — nephew to running backs coach Tony Alford — from BYU and Christian Pierce from Western Illinois, who is the younger brother to Trey Pierce.
On the interior line, Deyvid Palepale came up as someone taking a step forward along with Travis Moten. Off the edge, Nate Marshall and Dominic Nichols are both poised to carve out bigger roles.
And whatever combinations the Wolverines come up with along the defensive front, there’s certainly no shortage of them to try.
It's also worth remembering true freshman Carter Meadows, a top signee, will be enrolling over the summer.
Savion Hiter’s fan debut?
One of the crown jewels of the 2026 signing class for Michigan, Hiter’s drawn praise from his coaches and looks the part. And given he hasn’t played a ton of college snaps, he’s likely to be on the field on Saturday.
Hiter, the No. 21 prospect nationally, brings a blend of size (6-foot, 210 pounds) and explosiveness that’s rare. How well he’s taken to the offense and the consistency that he executes his assignments will be the rate limiter for such a talented player to get on the field in real games.
Which leads to Saturday, when fans will likely get their first up close glimpse of the tantalizing talent who could pair with Marshall in the backfield this fall.
The reps will be beneficial as he continues to acclimate himself and it’s a nice angle to the game to build some excitement. That’s what opening up the 15th spring practice for the fans is all about, anyways.
