College Football Spring Game Weekend Roundup: Michigan, Georgia, Texas & More Updates
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This past weekend (April 18–19) was basically the Super Bowl of spring games, one of the busiest days on the spring calendar. Most of the Power Four conference programs finally hit the field to show off what they’ve been working on all spring. Even though these games are nothing but glorified practice, you could learn a couple of things about the program. For example: ‘Where they are heading’ and ‘how their offense is looking’. It’s also a perfect time for fans who have been starving for some football since January. This weekend’s spring games were a perfect ‘appetiser’ before the long summer wait.
Here’s what we learned about a couple of big-time programs who held their spring football over the weekend.
Michigan Wolverines (Big 10)
We had the first look at post-Sherrone Moore life at Ann Arbor. And man, Maize and Blue’s spring football was a reincarnation of 80s football, and not in a very good way. The ‘Maize’ team took down the ‘Blue’ team in a 7-6 dub, a classic defensive masterclass under first-year head coach Kyle Whittingham.
Since it’s his third month in the office, Whittingham kept the play-calling pretty “vanilla”. But the main takeaway was definitely that the defense is ahead of the offense right now. The defensive line was miserable for the QB. Players like Travis Moten led all players with two sacks, and freshman Nate Marshall had his own.
Speaking of quarterbacks, Bryce Underwood, the presumed starter for the 2026 season, had a sad outing even in his limited snaps, even after working 3 months with QB guru Jordan Palmer. He only played the first quarter: 3-for-9 for just 22 yards. However, the freshman Tommy Carr, the grandson of Lloyd Carr, basically robbed Bryce Underwood’s anticipated spring return. The former four-star QB threw 21 of his 30 passes for 143 passing yards and 113 rushing yards.
Overall, we learned that Whittingham’s defense is as tight as you can expect. But it’s the offense that could be a glaring issue. Not sure there’s enough time for Bryce to get better drastically and beat Oregon, Ohio, Indiana to make the playoffs.
Texas Longhorns (SEC)
The Longhorns did things a bit differently this year. It wasn’t actually a traditional game. Instead, it was an open practice and Fan Day. The Longhorns’ head honcho Steve Sarkisian opted for this format to avoid major injuries. Fans still got a good look at the team through 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Is it even a spring if there’s no scoreboard?
The biggest takeaway has to be the return of Arch Manning after undergoing offseason foot surgery. Manning didn’t play in the scrimmage portion, but he did take a few reps here and there in 7-on-7 drills. Arch threw a perfect touchdown to their $3.3 million WR, Cam Coleman out of Auburn.
Even WRs like Ryan Wingo and freshman wideout Jermaine Bishop (caught a touchdown) had a good day at the office. Safe money is to bet on the Longhorns’ corps to be easily the best WR group in the SEC, a top 4 in the country.
Will Muschamp’s defense exceeded all expectations, which is common in the spring. We can wholeheartedly say the Longhorns will be much better than they were last season, a playoff lock-in for sure. Then again, it’s a field day, so take it with a grain of salt.
Georgia Bulldogs (SEC)
Georgia’s Bulldogs had a busy afternoon this weekend. More than 31,023 fans were in attendance to watch the Red Team (first-team offense) beat the Black one (first-team defense).
Gunner Stockton didn’t play a ton on Saturday, finishing 7-of-12 for 76 yards and a touchdown. However, the backups were balling out for the QB2 role, including Ryan Puglisi and Ryan Montgomery, who threw for 101 yards and a touchdown, along with a 48-yard long pass. Nate Frazier limped off the field with an ankle injury and was replaced by Chauncey Bowens after his very first or second carry of the day. Hopefully, it’s not too serious.
The Bulldogs’ defensive line was the biggest winner of the day, even with a few starters sitting out. D-linemen like Khamari Brooks, Nnamdi Ogboko, and Elijah Griffin had an eventful day, combining for more than 3 sacks and constant pressure. The offense still needs to get better at protecting the quarterback against that front seven. But the talent level is clearly high enough for a national title run, or another SEC championship, perhaps.
Coach Kirby Smart said the guys played hard, but the heat seemed to cause a few mistakes and some “sloppy” play that he’ll definitely want to clean up over the summer.
Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10)
Even though it was raining cats and dogs in Columbus, more than 40,000 Buckeyes came to root for Ryan Day and his talented roster in the nation.
The Gray (defense) beat the Scarlet team (offense) 35-26.
Ryan Day used a special scoring system where the defense gets points for sacks, forced punts, and interceptions. The defense manhandled and shut down the Scarlet in the second and third quarters after a slow start in the first quarter. Julian Sayin opened the day with a rushing touchdown. The former five-star flexed his inner Justin Fields-like mobility. That’s going to pay dividends later in the season.
Tavien St. Clair really “stole the show”. He looked much more comfortable than he did last year. The pass of the day was his 40-yard touchdown pass to the second coming of Jeremiah Smith, Chris Henry Jr. The top WR from the class of 2026 had 4 catches for 96 yards in the rain. They are most probably going to be the best duo in the country, if not this year, then next year.
What we really learned is that Ohio State’s defense is still “scary good”. Defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is going to be the stud, a future first-rounder already. However, the biggest and only worry right now is the offensive line depth. With Austin Siereveld and Philip Daniels out, the Buckeyes’ RT and LT didn’t look very promising, especially the former.
The Buckeyes have talent for days or even months, but cleaning up pass protection will be the #1 priority before they make another run for the natty.
Oklahoma Sooners (SEC)
The Boomers are getting back to their physical roots. Brent Venables’ Red Team (the starters) beat the White Team 31-3 in front of over 31,000 fans at Gaylord Family.
Despite that, the highlight of the day was Owen Heinecke walking out to 50 Cent’s ‘Many Men’ after winning his eligibility battle with the NCAA.
The most important thing we saw was that the Sooners have finally fixed their running game. After finishing near the bottom in the SEC and 112th in the FBS, the Red team racked up over 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns behind their much-improved O-line.
John Mateer is back to his pre-hand injury form. The Little Elm native threw 12-of-19 for 192 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Isaiah Sategna for what looked like a 76-yard TD. The Sooners don’t need to worry about the QB and hopefully their RB department either (Lloyd Avant, Jonathan Hatton Jr., and DeZephen Walker all found the end zone).
However, Bowe Bentley struggled a bit, throwing two picks. Then again, he’s a true freshman. On the receiving side, transfer Mackenzie Alleyne and freshman Jahsiear Rogers made some big-time catches. At this point, the Sooners are going to have a deep-threat parade in the upcoming season.
Danny Okoye and Peyton Bowen will carry that defense to the top 20 in the nation. Overall, unlike last season, the Sooners look way more balanced and physical in all positions.
Texas A&M Aggies (SEC)
Mike Elko’s Aggies’ spring game was a super close game that came down to the very last seconds at Kyle Field. However, the Maroon team got the last laugh over the White team, 15-13. The biggest worry of the day was seeing star linebacker Daymion Sanford get hurt and taken off the field. He’s a team leader and one of their best players, so everyone is hoping it’s just a minor injury and not something that keeps him out long-term.
The Aggies have one of the best secondaries in the SEC, if not the best, especially in the safety department. Even the kicking game, which was a bit of a mess last year, looked much better. They went 5 for 5.
Marcel Reed had a fantastic afternoon. At one point, he completed 10 passes in a row. Coach Mike Elko has to be happy with the talent he’s seeing, but now the main goal is just getting everyone healthy. Who knows, maybe this team might actually get it done and make the playoffs.
Miami Hurricanes (ACC)
The Canes stayed local at Cobb Stadium. Instead of a full four-quarter scrimmage, they mixed in drills and situational plays before finishing with some live 11-on-11 action.
Coach Mario Cristobal kept things “vanilla” to keep his plays secret. We learned that the Hurricanes are stacked at pretty much every position. The Duke transfer Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes during the live portion of the day, including one to his former Duke teammate Cooper Barkate. Unlike Carson Beck last season, Hurricanes fans don’t need to worry about deep throws. That’s Mensah’s bread and butter.
We also learned that Miami’s wide receiver room is incredibly deep, maybe the best it’s been in twenty years. Even with Toney Malachi sitting out after a short day, younger guys like Daylyn Upshaw and Milan Parris were making acrobatic plays all morning. Freshman lineman Jackson Cantwell looked like a year-3 veteran today.
Corey Hetherman even brought in the clone of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor in Damon Wilson and hopefully freshman Justin Scott. Needless to say, there is no reason why the Hurricanes shouldn’t win the ACC championship and make a deep playoff or natty run.
The rest of the Power Four heavyweights like Notre Dame, Oregon, and Indiana have scheduled their spring games this week. It’s going to be an interesting week ahead.
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