Michigan football's biggest weakness may not be what you think
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With the Michigan football spring game complete, we have our first idea of what to expect from the Wolverines this upcoming season, albeit quite an incomplete visage.
The maize and blue are operating in a familiar yet completely different sphere. With a new head coach in Kyle Whittingham, there are new schemes being installed. And though we got a glimpse of them, they won't be fully quickened until the September 5 season opener against Western Michigan.
Yet, perception has been set. And with that, expectations.
ESPN went to the trouble to estimate the strengths and weaknesses of each of the projected top 25 teams, and for Michigan, the strength and weakness looks awfully familiar.
Strength: Running game. The Wolverines lost starting running back Justice Haynes to Georgia Tech, but the rushing attack should remain prolific. Jordan Marshall is back after running for 932 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry last year. Michigan added Savion Hiter, the nation's No. 2 running back recruit. Quarterback Bryce Underwood can be electric with his legs too.
Weakness: Pass catchers. Andrew Marsh barely played until October as a true freshman last year and still led the Wolverines with 45 receptions and 651 yards. Keeping the promising Marsh in Ann Arbor was a big win for new coach Kyle Whittingham. But otherwise, the Wolverines will be relying heavily on transfers JJ Buchanan (Utah) and Jaime Ffrench Jr. (Texas) to give them much-needed production. — Jake Trotter
While we are more than inclined to agree with the listed strength, especially after the spring game, we demur from ESPN's expectation that the pass catchers will be the weakness. While Marsh and Buchanan are the top two, as Jake Butt noted on the latest Locked On Wolverines podcast, the staff is looking for more trust for the players beyond that pair. Still, we saw from Ffrench and true freshman Salesi Moa that they can be reliable options, while others — Jacob Washington, Jamar Browder, or true freshman Travis Johnson — may prove inexperienced, yet could emerge. That's not even counting the tight ends, which will factor in heavily.
If we were to choose the weakness, it would be one that Whittingham himself mentioned: the linebackers. While we didn't get to see much of the likely starters in the spring game, particularly Chase Taylor, he, Troy Bowles, and Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng have little experience, but a lot of potential. Nathaniel Staehling has been precluded from spring with injury, but will be the most experienced linebacker of the bunch.
ESPN's estimation seems more in line with older expectations of Michigan, even if the spring game didn't provide much contrary evidence. Even so, the pass catchers should improve dramatically, as the roster is much deeper at the position now than it has been in some time. However, it's the linebacking corps that has more to prove, even if that position has been solid in the same time period.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football's true weakness after spring game, per ESPN
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