When tight end Colston Loveland takes the field at the Big House for defending national champion Michigan football against Fresno State on Aug. 31, he'll have plenty of new faces around him. .
No matter where you look, left, right, back, there's not a single player who was a full-time starter with him in the maize and blue a season ago.
The Wolverines have a starting quarterback (JJ McCarthy), a running back (Blake Collum), both wide receivers (Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson), and an entire offensive line (Carsen Barnhart, Trevor Keegan, Zach Ginter, Drake). Nugent, LaDarius Henderson) and in-line tight end (AJ Barner) from the best team in program history.
Michigan also moved offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore to head coach, quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell took over as offensive coordinator, and Grant Newsome moved from tight ends to O-line coach.
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This is in stark contrast to last offseason, when the only big move the Wolverines had to make was hiring Moore as the play-caller to replace the fired Matt Weis.
“Obviously it's different. You can see it's different when you look outside,” Loveland told reporters inside Al Glick Fieldhouse Wednesday afternoon. “It’s never a bad thing to have a lot of new players, it means there’s plenty of room for them to have a lot of opportunities…a new offense, a new identity.
“Obviously, we’re going to do the same thing as Michigan, but I’m really excited to see how we all come together.”
To find a new identity, the Wolverines must first identify a starting quarterback. Graduating arguably the best college quarterback in program history in McCarthy leaves room for truly open competition at the team's most important position.
The candidates are seventh-year transfer Jack Tuttle (in his second year at UM), sophomore Alex Orge, sophomore Jayden Denegal, junior Davis Warren and true freshman Jadyn Davis. . Loveland said each different player brings their own skill set to the position, as well as the players and coaches he spoke to over the past two weeks as UM was in spring training.
He noted that Orji is the most mobile option while “Denny (Denegal) throws a good ball and Dave (Warren) throws a good ball,” but so far everyone has played well. He said he is doing so, including some of the most experienced options in Tuttle's room. , and a young, attractive up-and-comer in Davis (though he's probably a project).
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The atmosphere is relaxed now, but as the season approaches, the competition will start to get more intense. Some would think that would be necessary before the season to give UM's offensive line time to come together.
“The great thing about it is that we were able to find chemistry between our competitors,” Loveland said. “But it starts with competition. It's a great plan. Everyone has a fair chance to win the job. We have time. It's spring ball and we need to get it right all summer long.” .Hopefully we can find it.”
“But I don't think anyone here is worried about who's going to be the starting quarterback or who's going to take command. Right now, we're just letting life take its course.”
In this situation, the need to find the right person seems to be even greater, as the playing styles of the same quarterback are vastly different.
With a mix of quarterback styles, UM will not only have to create chemistry with its players, but Campbell and Moore will have to decide which style will lead the team to success.
“Whoever's going to be our starting quarterback this year is going to be about making sure he's able to perform at his best and maximize his assets,” Campbell said on the “Inside The Trenches” podcast last month. Ta. “Let's build our attack around our key pieces.”
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It's not just quarterback that UM has to find new chemistry with. Michigan replaced Colm, the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns, but Donovan Edwards looks fit to start with renewed energy paired with Karel Mullins and Benjamin Hall.
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Another concern? The strength of the offense is determined by the strength of the offensive line, and the offensive line is as big a question mark as the quarterback. Myles Hinton started almost 21 games, Gio El Hadi played in 20 games up front, Greg Crippen played in 15 games at center, and Jeff Persie played in 11 games up front. . UM also added Josh Priebe, a captain and multi-year starter at Northwestern University.
Again, this is not a talent issue, it's a chemistry issue.
“It takes a minute for the offensive line to settle down,” Edwards said Monday. “There are different personalities, people play different roles. I love the players we have here. … It will continue to take time for them to connect and understand each other's playing style. It will take a while.”
“But it would be amazing to see the development and change in three months and seven months.”
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So what will five days of spring training look like from the other side of the field? Considering the University of Michigan's defense returns a number of starters like Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Will Johnson, and Macari Page, who rotated as well as starters like Ernest Huisman, Josiah Stewart, and Derrick Moore. , this is not necessarily fair.
“I want to say we’re chasing them every day in practice,” Johnson said. “So it’s a little different offensively than last year, so I think they’re just getting used to that.”
Loveland pointed out multiple times Wednesday that the group has only practiced five times yet. It doesn't look like a well-oiled machine. That's fair enough, but Michigan still needs to find a balance between staying ahead of the competition and showing a sense of urgency to identify new leadership.
UM's quarterback battle between McCarthy and incumbent Cade McNamara lasts into the 2022-23 season, and while nothing could go wrong, there's always a chance it didn't go as smoothly. Ideally, this competition wouldn't drag on into the season and UM's offense could truly take shape.
“The offense is going to be based on the skill set that the quarterback has,” Loveland said. “I can't answer that question right now, but I think we'll know who will be the starting quarterback and when.”
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's new-style offense may take time to find rhythm
