Three takeaways from Michigan football’s spring game

Michigan football fans got their first look at the 2025 Wolverines on Saturday as the Maize vs. Blue spring game went down at Michigan Stadium. There was a lot of hype surrounding this game because of freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood. The #1 player in the 2025 recruiting class showcased his skills in a Michigan uniform for the first time, and he showed a lot of promise as he led the Blue team to a 17-0 victory over the Maize team.

Last year’s Michigan football team wasn’t as strong as previous years, but the defense was still as dominant as ever. That will likely be the case this season as well, and both defenses certainly made things tough on the opposition on Saturday. The Maize team was held scoreless throughout the entire game, and the Blue team didn’t find the end zone until the second half.

Bryce Underwood was the QB for the Blue team while Jadyn Davis was the guy for Maize. Both offenses struggled to score points in the first half, but running back Micah Ka’apana found the end zone in the third quarter to put Maize up 10-0.

Davis and the Maize team had the ball in Blue territory at the end of the game, but they weren’t able to put any points on the board. Blue could’ve run out the clock when they got the ball back, but they brought out the razzle-dazzle for the final play and scored an 88-yard touchdown. Underwood handed the ball off to Ka’apana who pitched the ball to wide receiver Bryce Wilcox, and Wilcox then pitched the ball back to Underwood. Underwood found tight end Jalen Hoffman open down the sideline, and he took it all the way in for six.

It’s hard to truly gauge how good a football team is from the spring game, but it’s still good to see how the team is looking at the end of spring ball. Here are three takeaways from the game:

Bryce Underwood was the best QB

Bryce Underwood and Jadyn Davis were the only two QBs who played on Saturday, and Underwood looked better. His unofficial stat line was 12-27 for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Jadyn Davis was 6-16 for 74 yards, two picks and zero TDs.

Underwood made some nice throws, but he did miss a couple of open receivers on deep balls. With that being said, he also had some deep throws with terrific ball placement that weren’t hauled in by his receivers. All in all, he looked very strong on short and intermediate passes, but he definitely has a lot of room to improve, especially with some of those deep balls to open targets.

Remember, Underwood is a true freshman. This was his first time playing in the Big House, and it’s normal to have some jitters. It’s easy to expect perfection from a player like him, but mistakes are going to happen. It was clear that he has the potential to be an incredibly special player at Michigan.

Jalen Hoffman and Bryson Kuzdzal are names to know for Michigan

A couple of surprise players that looked good on Saturday were TE Jalen Hoffman and RB Bryson Kuzdzal. Hoffman seemed to be Underwood’s favorite target as he hauled in a handful of receptions, and he was also the one that scored on the long trick play touchdown.

Kuzdzal was turning heads on Saturday as well as he broke off multiple big runs. Both of these guys are behind a few players on the depth chart, but it’s good to know that there is a lot of depth at both positions, and it will be interesting to see what their roles look like in the future.

The Michigan defense met expectations

The one constant throughout the last four Michigan football seasons has been the defense. It won the Wolverines a few games last year, and it is expected to be one of the best units in college football this season as well. Both the Maize and Blue teams had multiple sacks, they both turned the other team over and receivers were blanketed all day long. There is a lot of talent on that defense, and it should only help the offense get better throughout the offseason.

Remember, don’t get too worked about the spring game. It was a practice five months before the season. From the good to the bad, there is a lot of time for everything to change.