Michigan Football: Week 3 Spring Practice Stock Report

Twenty hours of organized activities may not seem like much, but for Michigan, those hours have been a welcome sign of progress, change and development.

Spring football is designed in such a way, and the Wolverines continue to learn about themselves as they approach April 4’s spring game. For the most part, coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff has expressed nothing but optimism. Everyone is genuinely excited to see what their players can do in 2015.

But none of that matters, really. Of course they’re saying that. What else would they say?

They’ve made sure to walk the thin line of political correctness, likely in an effort not to not rock the boat or cause undue hoopla. There will be more of that type of saying something without saying anything down the line—bet on it.

It’s called coach talk.

However, not everyone is playing it safe—at least not linebacker Joe Bolden, who didn’t hold back when asked about defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin, formerly of Florida, and Greg Mattison, who was the Wolverines’ DC before moving to the D-line.

Each of them orchestrated top-15 total defenses in 2014, and both have produced some of the best run-stopping units since 2013. They're good at their jobs, too. 

“You got the two best defensive coordinators in the nation on the same staff,” Bolden proudly proclaimed. “There’s no other team in the nation that has that, and if you find them, let me know.”

Adam Biggers | Bleacher Report

Bolden spoke of “moving and bumping,” tackling, hitting and the rest of the essentials. Things are going well, he says. He’s happy that Desmond Morgan, his roommate, is returning for a fifth year of eligibility. The linebackers certainly need Morgan.

Like the rest, Bolden—who had been on his feet for five straight hours on Thursday—has pushed himself physically and mentally, all in the name of team-building strength. 

But his confident line about Mattison and Durkin simply trumps the rest of the quotes, reports and other information obtained from this week’s availability sessions. No question.

Pass and Catch

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Michigan’s quarterback situation is murky at best right now. With that said, don’t expect any definitive answers until the spring game, if not later, from passing coordinator Jedd Fisch.

The Wolverines could add yet another quarterback to their roster, as reports have surfaced regarding their interest in former Iowa signal-caller Jake Rudock, according to CBS’ Bruce Feldman.

But that’s not set in stone. Iowa would have to grant a waiver to Rudock before he could transfer to an in-conference team. And he’d have to clear graduate transfer requirements before playing a snap for Harbaugh this fall. 

As of now, Harbaugh and Fisch have redshirt freshman Wilton Speight, true freshman/early enrollee Alex Malzone and junior-to-be Shane Morris. Fisch says each has a unique skill set, but he is primarily focused on getting them comfortable above all else.

“They’ve got some time, and we’re going to use all of it—every second we can to try to help them improve and be comfortable and then, you know, be able to go out there and put us in the best possible position to succeed,” he said Tuesday.

However, Fisch offered a tidbit about each one, just to be thorough. Speight has size, Morris has a cannon, and Malzone has poise—all of which are great ingredients according to Fisch.

Fisch on Speight: “Wilton is a very large man. He’s a big guy. He can see everything. He’s a pretty good athlete and throws the ball well. But you know, he doesn’t seem to have had a ton of experience. I know Shane probably took more reps last year, I would guess because he was probably the 2, I know he went in at least one game or two games, whatever, and then played the year before also. He’s probably had some more practice reps than Wilt has. But Wilt makes a lot of nice throws and is a good-sized kid.”

Fisch on Morris: “Shane, you know, has a very strong arm—which everybody knows. He spins it well, he just has to understand that’s really not the most important thing. If you have a really strong arm, you have a really strong arm. That’s what you have. Now it’s a matter of what can you do with it—how do you utilize it?”

Fisch on Malzone: "Alex should be a senior in high school right now. I know my senior spring, I wasn’t in college. So I know that he’s got a lot going on, and he has handled it unbelievably well. He is like, he’s unbelievable in terms of his ability to not let things bother him, to be consistent and to jump right back in and play the game…if a play doesn’t go right, he’s right back in and ready for the next one. A short-term memory is phenomenal for a quarterback.”

What does all of that mean? Not much today. There isn’t a favorite, so don’t bother asking. But they’re each getting equal reps, according to Jehu Chesson, who’ll be a go-to receiver this season.

“They’re good—quarterbacks are throwing great, man,” said Chesson, a 6’3”, 195-pound junior-to-be. “Coach Harbaugh has everybody rotating, so everybody’s moving. The quarterbacks, the receivers—we’re all rotating throughout different groups throughout practice.”

Untapped talent is again the word of the season for Michigan, which—again—has a stable of potential waiting to break loose. Chesson didn’t specify who’s doing what, but he commented on what he’s seen thus far from his fellow wideouts.

“You’ve got a lot of guys out there that just want to play ball,” Chesson said in a calming tone. “That’s the kind of frustrating thing about spring ball, because obviously you don’t play against an opponent, you’re not preparing for anybody. But Coach Harbaugh, you know, he calls it ‘building the keel’—for a ship—so you’ve just got to build the basics up. Once you’re solid here, you can stand strong in the fall.”

Run, Run, Run

David Banks/Getty Images

During this past Tuesday’s availability, running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley said that he had a “very talented bunch” to coach this spring. Through four practices, Wheatley, a legendary Wolverines running back during the early to mid-1990s, saw sophomores De’Veon Smith and Derrick Green literally and figuratively hit the ground running—which was a good sign, he said.

Green and Smith practiced well, and Drake Johnson, a redshirt sophomore, has taken a lot of “mental reps” since hitting the field Feb. 24. Johnson’s recovering from another ACL tear and isn’t involved with contact drills, but he serves as a “second set of eyes”—something like an assistant—for his new coach.

While Wheatley likes the energy and attitude of his players thus far, he needs to see more than a few weeks of practice before he knows exactly what he’ll have for the spring game on April 4, not to mention this fall.

“If I’m painting a house—I got one brick [painted]. OK?” Wheatley said with a laugh. “These guys—they’re a talented bunch. They’re very talented. And like I said, I don’t think they even understand who they are and what they can be at the end. So, you know, it’s a lot to work with, and I’m excited to work with these guys…

“Right now, we’re just kind of just scratching the surface on really just understanding how to run the ball, what to look for, the blocking schemes (and things of) that nature. Really, we’re in the infancy stages of this thing right now."

In 2014, Smith began to scratch the surface, flashing signs of a dominant, powerful runner to come. He led the Wolverines with 108 carries for 519 yards and six touchdowns, but he could have done more. He knows it, too.

The problem? Second-guessing.

“One game that I can definitely go back to—Penn State,” he said quickly. “I knew right after the game that I wasn’t playing like myself and I knew I kept on second-guessing myself and wasn’t hitting the hole right away. My brothers even called me and said, ‘What’s wrong? You hurt or something like that?’ I just told them that I was second-guessing myself and I shouldn’t be doing it.”

Smith carried the ball 12 times for just 24 yards during that 18-13 “Under The Lights” victory over the Nittany Lions at The Big House. In hindsight, he probably should have practiced more patience, or maybe he should have trusted his initial instincts rather than changing course mid-carry.

“After you go back over and look at the film, it’s really frustrating, but all you can do is learn from it—you can’t beat yourself down, you have just got to build yourself up from it,” he said.

Smith says that he feels “a lot more explosive” and “put on six pounds coming into spring ball," later adding: "One thing I wanted to do is turn all the fat that I put on and turn it into muscle. So I’m like 222 right now. So I’m just, each and every day, trying to get better."

For what it’s worth, Smith reported great things about his fellow ball-carriers. Like Wheatley, he said that the energy levels are high and there is attitude to match. But Smith wants to see more from his teammates.

“I think everybody has great practices, we have just got to pick each other up—that’s the one thing we haven’t really been doing,” Smith said. “We haven’t been complimenting each other every time somebody makes a good play or helping one another when they mess up. Coach Wheatley talked to us last night and he expects that out of us.”

Follow Bleacher Report’s Michigan Wolverines football writer Adam Biggers on Twitter @AdamBiggers81

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes and references were obtained firsthand by the writer via press conference, press release or other media availability.