Michigan’s spring game had many storylines and a lot to dissect. Here are the biggest takeaways.
Michigan held its annual spring game on Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium with the Blue team defeating the Maize team 17-0.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Michigan’s spring game.
Bryce Underwood shows promise in debut
The stat line isn’t the greatest, but Underwood sure had his moments in a 17-0 win for the Blue team. Underwood was 12-of-26 for 187 yards with one passing touchdown and one interception. Underwood’s interception looked to be miscommunication on a deep ball, while his touchdown pass was from 88 yards out on the last play of the game to Jalen Hoffman on an end-around flea-flicker throw.
Underwood had good stature in the pocket and was aware of when it was time for him to avoid pressure and throw on the run. Underwood’s arm talent appears to be top-tier, but on a windy day in Ann Arbor, he had his share of near misses and balls that sailed by a wide margin (with more than a handful going out of the end zone or out of bounds).
Jadyn Davis struggles
Michigan fans got to see Jadyn Davis sling it after he didn’t appear in a game last year and redshirted as a freshman. Davis played the entire game for the Maize team, going 6-of-17 for 74 yards with two interceptions and four sacks. Davis struggled with accuracy, missing some players short, intermediate, and deep with some of these incompletions happening despite receivers being open. A lot of Davis’ struggles can be attributed to inconsistent footwork (throwing off his back foot, throwing off platform). Davis’ footwork often looked like that of a shortstop who is making off-kilter throws instead of keeping his feet and arm in sync. Davis also picked up some blindside sacks via the two-hand touch variety (no tackling the quarterback in the spring game), to where if it were a real game with real tackling, he would have taken a huge hit to his back. The spring game was a small sample of Jadyn Davis in a glorified scrimmage, therefore, this evaluation of him is far from definitive and we wish the young QB well.
First glimpse of Justice Haynes
Running back Justin Haynes transferred to Michigan via Alabama this offseason and has a strong chance, along with Jordan Marshall, to be Michigan’s RB1 this season. Haynes looked powerful and versatile in limited spring game action, rushing for 51 yards on six carries, which is an impressive clip of 8.5 yards per carry. The addition of Haynes could be a big one and it was exciting to see him in action.
Reserve players shine
Something great about the spring game is seeing reserve players shine. In the 2025 Michigan Spring Game, perhaps no player shone brighter than tight end Jalen Hoffman. Hoffman had seven targets and caught all seven of them for 148, including the 88-yard touchdown. Hoffman has yet to record a reception through two seasons at Michigan, but he clearly has a strong rapport with Bryce Underwood, and it’ll be interesting to see if Hoffman could be a surprise contributor during the 2025 campaign.
Another reserve player who had a fine afternoon was running back Bryson Kuzdal, who rushed for 105 yards on 14 carries for the Maize team. Kuzdal was a two-star prospect in the class of 2023 and has contributed on special teams in his Michigan career. Kuzdal ran with physicality and good bursts of acceleration to have an objectively impressive day. Even if Kuzdal doesn’t receive many carries in 2025, he showed he’s a tough athlete who will contribute effectively on special teams, at the very least.
Defense plays admirably
Both the Maize and Blue defenses played well. Here are some standouts.
- Cole Sullivan had 7 tackles (5 solo) for the Maize team with one sack
- Rayshaun Benny had a sack for the Maize team
- Tevis Metcalf had an interception for the Maize team
- Four players had a sack for the Blue team (Dominic Nichols, Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Chibi Anwunah, Ludgard Edokpayi).
- Jeremiah Lowe had two interceptions for the Blue team.
- Shamari Earls had 5 tackles for the Blue team, all of which were solo.
The defenses played with good effort from start to finish. There were hard tackles, battles in the trenches, and solid coverage in the secondary. In short, the defense looked tough and played with hustle. 2025 will be Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s second year on the job, and it looks like his unit has a firm grasp of the defensive scheme and vision.
It’s still April
We’re still a long way from Michigan’s season opener against New Mexico on August 30 and seeing two hours of a team in April isn’t going to provide the insights necessary to say what the floor or ceiling for a team is or will be. Bryce Underwood is still just 17 years old, true freshmen as well as transfer players are still getting acclimated to Michigan’s playbook, new Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey is still installing his scheme, and players still have months to reach their strength and conditioning goals before fall camp arrives. There’s a lot of work to be done, and there’s still plenty of time for Michigan to be the best version of itself in 2025 — it’s still April.