Michigan Football: Grading Wolverines Position Groups' 2015 Spring

On Saturday, Michigan showed what it had learned through 15 practices under new coach Jim Harbaugh. On the surface, the Wolverines weren’t very shiny, nor were they overly impressive during Saturday’s spring game in Ann Arbor.

However, after scraping beneath the top layer, it was easy to see the subtle improvements. Here and there, scattered about from position group to position group, things just looked better. Harbaugh’s mission of changing the mindset of a program is in full effect.

For weeks, phrases pertaining to maturation, progression, development and improvement have been used by Harbaugh’s coaching staff. Passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch recently discussed the potential of his quarterbacks, who were the focus of Saturday’s affair.

They’re doing well, he said during a media session. They have their upsides, but they need work. Shane Morris proved that. In doing so, the junior gave a little reason to be optimistic. And in a way, so did Alex Malzone—a true freshman and early enrollee who’s found himself wedged in the middle of a brewing quarterback race.

The defensive backs were outstanding on Saturday, reinforcing recent positive reports from secondary coaches Greg Jackson and Michael Zordich. The pair of Harbaugh assistants has raved about the athleticism and potential of their should-be-vaunted defensive backfield in 2015.

Players such as redshirt senior Blake Countess, redshirt freshman Jabrill Peppers, who gets an A+, and junior Channing Stribling have been hot topics of conversation. During the spring game, Peppers made his presence known with a couple of pass breakups and a rattling hit on a receiver. But Jourdan Lewis, a junior, also had a strong showing. So did redshirt freshman Brandon Watson and junior Delano Hill—each had interceptions. 

Defensive line coach Greg Mattison and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin have also delivered good news. With an already proven group, Mattison and Durkin have simply sat back and watched their players grow. The defense, as shown this past weekend, will again be the backbone of Wolverines football this fall. 

Based on reports from spring availability and the spring game, this slideshow will grade the Wolverines’ “first” season under Harbaugh. Ultimately, the spring game will carry slightly more weight in the equation. Reports are one thing, but live action speaks volumes.

It’s important to remember that the Blue Team, which won 7-0, and the Maize Team were composed of a mixed bag. There were first-stringers vs. third-stringers, fourth-stringers vs. second-stringers and everyone and everything in between.

Quarterbacks

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Shane Morris had a lot to prove Saturday. He showed up and gained the lead in the QB race.

Grades

Shane Morris: B-

Alex Malzone: B-

Wilton Speight: I

Junior Shane Morris showed enough during this past Saturday’s spring game to secure the No. 1 spot—for now. But by no means is he a lock for the starting job come fall. He gets a B- for his performance during spring game

The 6’3”, 209-pound lefty has an incredibly strong arm, which is a great thing, but he needed to fine-tune his touch.

So did Morris feel that he did that?

“I’ve been working to improve everything in my game as a quarterback, becoming a complete quarterback,” said Morris, who was all smiles. “There were some nice ‘touch balls’ today, I guess. So that was good.”

One of his “nice touch balls” was the day’s only score, a perfectly placed 14-yarder to receiver Jaron Dukes. In addition to prettier passes, Morris also displayed a calm and confident demeanor in the pocket, which was something noticed by several writers and reporters on Saturday—particularly Steve Kornacki of MGoBlue, who asked Morris about personal progression.

“Probably in my movement in the pocket, taking smaller movements in the pocket and keeping my eyes downfield…” Morris said.

Impressed by Morris’ movements, Kornacki used the word “economical” as a way to describe what he witnessed from the third-year signal-caller out of Warren De La Salle.

“Yes sir, very,” Morris replied with a laugh and grin. “I like that word. That was nice—very ‘economical’ in the pocket.”

Some schools protect quarterbacks during spring scrimmages and games. They don’t want their potential stars getting hurt. In an attempt to create a more real environment, Harbaugh, who is known for extreme measures, nixed that rule for this year’s contest.

That was another positive for Morris. He welcomed contact. In fact, he eagerly anticipated it.

“It’s awesome—it’s football,” Morris exclaimed. “I mean, I get tackled in football games, and I hope I would get tackled in spring practice. I’ve been ‘live’ through all spring practice. When we do third-down drills, I’m live—so me being ‘live’ in the pocket is part of being quarterback and playing the game of football. I mean, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

Despite Morris being placed atop the depth chart, Michigan’s quarterback situation is still very much in question. As of now, true freshman Alex Malzone doesn’t appear ready to truly compete for a starting position.

He gets a B- for his performance during the spring game.

Lacking poise and patience, Malzone left a lot be desired from a spectator’s standpoint. But things could change this summer, and he could end up leapfrogging Morris. It’s also important to remember that Malzone should be in high school right now.

And honestly, it’s probably a bit unjust to knock him for a so-so spring game—that was his first time playing in the intimidating venue.  

A good summer could be in the cards for redshirt freshman Wilton Speight, who was absent from live action on Saturday. For that, he'll get an I for incomplete. However, he tweeted that he needs to get healthy and back on the field. He’s clearly ready to compete once he's off the mend. 

And really, there’s no other choice.

He has to do that or risk falling behind a rapidly growing pool of contenders, with one being Jake Rudock, who’s on his way from Iowa. In 2014, the graduate transfer completed 61.7 percent of his passes, and he brings 25 career starts to Ann Arbor. That’s roughly 12 times as much as Morris’ experience.

With that said, the conditions are right for a memorable quarterback battle.

Harbaugh has to love that. Judging by his demeanor on Saturday, Morris is ready to fight to no end in order to maintain his lead.

Wide Receivers

Tony Ding/Associated Press

Jaron Dukes had a 14-yard touchdown reception Saturday.

The receivers and quarterbacks go hand-in-hand, so this slide will be relatively short. Once the pass-throwers get it together, the pass-catchers will follow.

Based on Saturday’s spring game, there are a few guys ready to maintain their position or move up the ranks. Overall, this position group gets a C+ for spring. That's nothing too special, but it's something. 

Amara Darboh is primed for a featured role this fall. If not for a foot injury, Darboh probably would have already emerged as a top target. Instead, it halted his progress until 2014. Due to a limited offense, he had just 36 catches for 473 yards and two touchdowns. But he’ll likely be worth the wait. He had three receptions for 63 yards during the first half of the spring game.

With two catches for 23 yards, Jehu Chesson also had a solid first half. During a recent availability session, the senior spoke highly of his teammates, saying the receivers were continuously improving and learning to mesh with the quarterbacks.

Players such as junior Jaron Dukes, who had the game’s only touchdown on Saturday, could factor into the race for top positions this fall. So could true freshman and early enrollee Brian Cole, a former 4-star recruit, per 247Sports.

There are Freddy Canteen, a sophomore, and sophomore Maurice Ways too. Or in other words: Michigan will again have plenty of options at receiver this fall. 

Tight end will be a focus of the offense too. Coach Jay Harbaugh has recently expressed the desire to refurbish the role of the big-bodied pass-catcher. That means to watch out for junior Jake Butt and redshirt freshman Ian Bunting this fall. According to Harbaugh, they've each made noticeable strides. 

Fifteen practices and a lukewarm but insightful spring game aren’t enough to really judge, but it’d be fair to say that Michigan’s wideouts have had a productive spring.

Running Backs

Leon Halip/Getty Images

The running backs need work. That's putting it nicely.

During a recent media session, running backs coach Tyrone Wheatley said that his players had to find themselves before they could truly excel on the field. Those were wise words from Wheatley. True too.

The ball-carriers get a C- for the spring, but that's mainly because of the spring game.

Here’s the thing: Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith are in a transitional phase of their careers. They’re both juniors, but neither has stood out for extended periods of time—they’ve always had spurts, bursts and flashes.

But nothing permanent.

With that said, they weren’t great Saturday. Smith hit a few holes and had a couple of nice carries. Green did too, but he was caught in the backfield a couple of times. Great defense stole the show. Plus, as mentioned earlier, there were first-stringers vs. third-stringers throughout the day.

Ty Isaac, a USC transfer, appeared to have had limped off the field during the spring game, according to Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News. The jury's out on him until further notice. 

It’s difficult to ascertain concrete data from a spring game and reports from coaches. The Wolverines remain a work in progress.

The Offensive and Defensive Lines

OL: C

DL: B+

They've pushed and shoved against one another all spring, so the offensive and defensive lines will get graded together.

Now that offensive coordinator Tim Drevno is in charge, the Wolverines can finally start to rebuild in the trenches. Building stout O-lines is one of Drevno’s specialties. He constructed respectable fronts while at USC and has experience coaching alongside Harbaugh at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers.

Their 11-year relationship should help revamp an ailing offensive line, which was somewhat OK on Saturday.

There were sacks on both sides. Quarterbacks weren’t given the most time to throw either. But Malzone and Morris managed. Linemen such as Mason Cole held tight, and the running backs were afforded a few opportunities to bust loose.

Mattison’s D-lines were, well, Mattison’s D-lines. They were excellent. Seniors Willie Henry and Chris Wormley were especially effective. They will likely lead Mattison’s unit this fall.

The spring game was proof of that. 

"I think we all came out with the anticipation of the defense was going to be a little better, that's what we hang our hat on, is the tough defense like I said," explained Wormley, who heavily praised his defensive teammates.

"Just coming out there with the fire that we had on our side of the ball, with the shutout, and the other defense only letting up one touchdown, I think we accomplished what we wanted to this spring."

Linebackers

With fifth-year senior Desmond Morgan and regular senior Joe Bolden returning, the Wolverines shouldn’t see a dramatic drop-off now that Jake Ryan, a former star linebacker, has graduated and moved on to preparing for an NFL career.

Bolden had at least 12 tackles Saturday, with at least three for a loss, including a hard sacking of Morris. Morgan picked off Malzone and had a few tackles. Ben Gedeon, a junior, had at least six tackles. Lawrence Marshall, a sophomore who’ll likely play linebacker and defensive end, sacked Morris too.

Durkin has a stable of linebackers raring to go. Defense. Defense. Defense. That’s the word of the spring for the Wolverines. Giving the position group anything less than a B+ would be reckless. With that said—and perhaps a bit generous—a spring grade of A- seems suitable for Bolden and Co.  Next to the D-line, the linebackers appeared to be the strongest defensive unit on Saturday.

Well, the next one was pretty good as well.

The Secondary

Michigan fans have waited long enough for Jabrill Peppers, a former 5-star recruit, per 247Sports. On Saturday, their patience was rewarded, as the redshirt freshman rocked a receiver and scared quarterbacks away from his side of the field for most of the afternoon. 

He had at least one pass deflection too. All in all, "Pep," as he's referred to by secondary coaches Greg Jackson and Michael Zordich, appears to have the goods. He should be as good or better as advertised. Prior to joining Michigan, he was considered one of the top athletes of the 2014 class. 

Peppers, who stands alone in most cases, gets a B+. Harbaugh, who gave him an A+ for the spring, should have let Peppers return a punt or two, but instead, he utilized the "virtual punt," likely in an attempt to keep guys safe.

But Harbaugh let quarterbacks get hit...hmm...

Anyhow, back to Peppers. He was good. But he wasn't the only defensive back who made a strong impression Saturday. Junior Delano Hill and redshirt freshman Brandon Watson had interceptions. Zordich has heavily praised junior Channing Stribling, but he's been really high on Jourdan Lewis, a junior who's been tabbed as Michigan's best cover corner. 

The defensive backs only had two interceptions in 2014. But they had 15 of the team's 17 in 2013, which were the second most in the Big Ten. 

On Saturday, the corners and safeties complemented a rock-solid defense. They've obviously picked up on Jackson's and Zordich's coaching, and they're obviously following Durkin's no-holds-barred philosophy of chippy defense.

They deserve an A- for the spring. They made their coaches look good.  

There will be no slide for special teams. Other than the standard "things are going well," special teams coordinator John Baxter hasn't divulged a ton of information. There wasn't any punting or kicking on Saturday either. 

Punter Kenny Allen, a senior, broke his right hand during a recent practice. He's wearing a cast, but he should be fine in roughly four weeks. 

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. All recruiting information comes from 247Sports. Player bio info comes from MGoBlue.