Kyle Whittingham names Michigan's most impressive spring groups

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The last time that we in the local media got to speak to Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham was right as he was set to take his newfound team to its first spring practice. But friends of the site, Crain and Company, got an opportunity to meet with the Wolverines coach and get some mid-spring intel on where the maize and blue are as of current.

Whittingham was asked what position group has impressed him the most, and he gave one on either side of the ball. While one of his answers was certainly expected, the other, perhaps, was not.

"Well, I really love our running back room," Whittingham said. "We have Jordan Marshall coming back, who's a proven commodity, and Savion Hiter, who is the top running back in the country in some polls. And he's really lived up to that. He was a midyear guy, and he has looked terrific through his first six practices. Bryson Kuzdzal is another guy in the room. So we feel like we've got a very strong running back situation.

"Defensively, the front. We feel like we had a good front coming back. And that's something that is always critical. Defense starts at the line of scrimmage, and we feel like we've got some dudes up front."

Given new offensive coordinator Jason Beck's penchant for running the football, along with the talent that Michigan returns, Whittingham's answer of the tailbacks isn't exactly surprising. However, the defensive line being the standout group, perhaps, is, given that there's a lot of depth in the secondary, at both the safety and cornerback positions.

There has been a lot of consternation that the Wolverines didn't go harder to find more players along the defensive line in the transfer portal (Michigan brought in two, both via Utah, in edge rusher John Henry Daley and defensive tackle Jonah Lea'ea). But if the combination of the returning tackles (Enow Etta and Trey Pierce), and some of the still-improving talent at edge are combining with the new players (Daley won't practice until fall camp), then this season could certainly go beyond expectations.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football spring practice standouts revealed

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