Michigan football's 10 players who impressed in spring game

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The Michigan football spring session has come to a close, with 14 practices culminating in the 15th, called the spring game.

There were no fireworks on Saturday, and certainly a lot of things to clean up. Though there was little to take away in terms of where position groups or units stand, there are some things that we can glean from individual players who partook in the Maize vs. Blue game at The Big House.

With that in mind, there are several players who certainly helped their case for seeing increased action once the season rolls around. Or, at least, helped them move up the depth chart, in any case.

Here are 10 players we felt made strong moves in the spring game.

QB Tommy Carr

The name everyone is talking about. Carr, the grandson of former head coach Lloyd Carr, had the most snaps, by far, and did the most with them. In some ways, he outshined Bryce Underwood (but we do not believe in any case he made a move to supplant the starter). Even still, he went 21-for-30 for 143 yards, with 10 carries for 67 yards on the ground.

If anything, Carr showed that he could be, even as a true freshman, serviceable if called upon. Could be, being the operative words. With Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi arriving this summer, perhaps Carr will make the battle for QB2 interesting.

RB Savion Hiter

We didn’t see a ton of Hiter, but we saw enough. The former five-star was as advertised, showing a tough running style that also had some finesse when called upon. He rushed for 44 yards on 10 carries, with his long only being an eight-yard run. But she showed that he can be patient, break tackles, work through lanes with exemplary vision, and more. The future is bright for the first-year player.

TE Eli Owens

Not many are speaking of Owens and what the nominal fullback-tight end was able to do. But in the early goings of the spring game, Owens was the only one coming down with catches. The thought is that Hogan Hansen will be the primary pass-catching threat from the tight end position, but Owens managed to have a game-high four catches for 28 yards, showing that he may be a reliable option for the maize and blue in his second year.

WR Salesi Moa

The true freshman and former five-star also showed dependability, outside of an out route, where he slowed up for some reason. But his one-handed grab showcased his hands, and he had an uncanny ability to get open and make plays. He didn’t have a crazy statline — four catches for 26 yards — but 21 of those yards came after the catch. With his speed and elusivity, he is certain to see his redshirt burned in year one.

WR Jaime Ffrench

The Texas transfer led the Blue team with four catches for 26 yards, and was going catch for catch with Moa, albeit on the other team. Nothing he did was as impressive as Moa’s one-handed catch, but much as Ffrench had told the media earlier this spring that he excels at yards after the catch, his 19 yards in that light highlighted that, yes, he can be a veritable weapon for the offense.

DT Deyvid Palepale

Perhaps our favorite player on defense in the spring game, Palepale was nearly unblockable, a true force in the middle of the front. He only had three tackles, but if you watched his snaps, he was a game-wrecker in the middle. He’s been plagued by injuries early in his career, but he’s certainly in the mix.

We asked Kyle Whittingham about Palepale after the spring game, and he said this: “Yeah, Deyvid’s in that rotation. We’ve got five guys inside, five guys outside on the edge. We feel really good about him, and we think the better in spring and all. Three days ago, he was out with an injury, but he had at least 330, 40 pounds, tough to move, and he’s got some quickness.”

DT Jonah Lea’ea

Lea’ea was a starter at Utah and could certainly reprise that role in Ann Arbor. The thought was that he was a bit undersized coming in, but he didn’t look it at all out on the field. Despite looking more like an edge rusher, he held his own with interior offensive linemen, doing an excellent job penetrating and creating havoc. At worst, he’ll be a heavily utilized reserve — at best, a starter.

DT Travis Moten

Not talked about much in the aftermath of the game, the second-year tackle actually led the Maize team with six tackles and had two sacks in the game. Given that the Wolverines are hoping to have a ton of depth up front, Moten’s potential emergence puts him into a role where he could cement himself as a reserve in heavy rotation with a strong fall camp.

LB Markel Dabney

Though other linebackers had more in the way of tackles, like Palepale, Dabney just always seemed to be in the right position and creating havoc wherever he was. Dabney combined with DT Bobby Kanka for the fourth-and-goal stop, but even before that, he showed a knack for the football and a penchant for hitting. He may or may not see the field in 2026, but he’s certainly putting himself in a position for a bright future.

DB Kainoa Winston

The second-year safety played a few positions in the spring game and looked excellent when out on the field. Notably bigger than last year, he had the speed to (mostly) keep up with the faster wide receivers and looked like a solid option for the Wolverines. He led the team with six (all solo) tackles and one pass breakup.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football 10 players who impressed in spring game

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