5 to watch in Michigan football Maize vs Blue spring game scrimmage

It's hard to know what anybody will be able to take away from this Michigan football spring game.

Big Ten Network's Jake Butt detailed the outline of the game on "The Blueprint" podcast; it'll feature several modifications to a typical game.

Per his report, starters will play only the first quarter and, even then, will only play to “thud” – making contact but no tackling to the ground. Quarterback Bryce Underwood will play the entire first quarter for both teams; quarters 2-4 will be full tackle. Freshman QB Tommy Carr will play for both teams the entire second quarter; in the second half, Carr will play for one side while redshirt freshman Chase Herbstreit will play for the other side. They'll face "vanilla" defenses, only playing two high safeties, with no blitzes and an even front on every down.

And yet, it will still be football in a game-like setting, and there are plenty of players to watch out for as they fight for depth chart positioning. The five biggest:

RB Savion Hiter

While he doesn't come in with the same hype as Bryce Underwood a season ago, he's not that far off: Hiter is ranked as the nation's top running back recruit for 2026, and the No. 12 overall player, per 247 Sports' composite rankings.

Coaches and teammates gave glowing reviews throughout the spring, and his high school tape and stats are impressive – more than 3,000 yards and 50 touchdowns the past two seasons.

At 6 feet and 200 pounds, Hiter is already built like an elite back despite only being on campus for three months. He's been billed as "explosive" and "dynamic," running with a combination of power and speed that sets him apart. While he won't have a full complement of linemen, this will be a chance to see his vision, knack for the game and power on the field for the first time.

“He wants to learn, he listens when we ask him to do something,” fellow running back Jordan Marshall said last month. “He’s so willing to learn, he’s excited to get better. And he not only listens to me, but no matter who it is in the running back room, and that’s something that a good player needs to have.

WR Salesi Moa

Michigan's wide receiver talent is notably deeper this year and the top candidate to make an impact as a freshman is Moa. Moa played both defensive back and wideout at his Utah high school, but he's strictly a wide receiver for now.

Moa stands 6-2 and 175 pounds and racked up 63 catches for 1,272 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior at Freemont High School in Ogden, Utah. Whittingham earlier this spring said Moa looked "really good. … Sharp" and added that he'd quickly made his way into the top four receiving group with Andrew Marsh, J.J. Buchanan and Jaime Ffrench Jr.

Defensive back Jyaire Hill compared him to U-M's last standout receiver.

“Salesi [is] real nice,” Hill said. “I was just comparing yesterday to, like, Roman Wilson. … He real nice.”

QB Tommy Carr

Underwood should see limited time on Saturday, which will leave the bulk of the reps to the two backups currently on hand − Carr and Herbstreit. Carr, the grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr (as well as the brother of Notre Dame starter CJ Carr), has impressed early in his college tenure; the Saline native is No. 2 on the depth chart.

“Tommy Carr is doing a nice job, I can tell you that,” Whittingham said. “He’s probably the one that stands out so far. Nothing’s been set in stone, obviously, but based on what we’ve seen to this point, Tommy has looked like he’s got a good skill set.”

He's a dual-threat quarterback, which seems to fit the style offensive coordinator Jason Beck wants. There's no risk of anybody supplanting Underwood as the starter, but it's important to have a trusted backup.

It would be impressive if Carr, a true freshman, is truly ready for that level of spotlight, but Saturday will be a good way to get his feet wet in the Big House, should Colorado State transfer Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi – expected to join the program this summer – not be able to wrestle away the No. 2 role.

Linebacker room

No room was as impacted by the end of last season as the linebackers.

The middle of the defense lost captain Ernest Hausmann, veteran Jimmy Rolder and safety valve Jaishawn Barham (who rotated to edge early in the season) to the NFL, and standout Cole Sullivan in a transfer to Oklahoma.

U-M will rely on a rotation of Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng, Troy Bowles and Chase Taylor, none of whom have see action in tight games. Bowles, who is on his third defensive coordinator in three years after transferring in from Georgia, is the most experienced and will be relied upon to lead the unit.

Whittingham flagged the room as one Michigan is still developing.

“The linebackers, they’re all young as far as relative game reps,” Whittingham said. “That’s a work in progress, will carry through summer and carry through fall. We’ve got a couple of additions we’re making in the summer to that group that could help out, as well.”

CB Shamari Earls

Shamari Earls flipped from Georgia to Michigan prior to last season and many expected him to make an impact, but while players like Jordan Young and Elijah Dotson played meaningful snaps, Earls never quite broke into the rotation.

He played 60 snaps in 2025, appearing in six games as a defensive back without a meaningful statistic. The 6-2, 205-pound cornerback is a physical specimen and came to Ann Arbor as a top-100 recruit.

While he's behind proven corners such as Hill and Zeke Berry on the depth chart (not to mention Utah transfer Smith Snowden), the Wolverines will need depth in the back end of their defense. Players such Jamarion Vincent (a transfer from Baylor) have turned heads early this spring, but U-M could use a notable step forward from Earls in his sophomore season.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football spring game: Five players to watch in scrimmage