The 2026 Michigan Wolverines' Spring Game created a lot of excitement. It was Kyle Whittingham's first in Ann Arbor, with an almost fully revamped coaching roster. Who stood out and who struggled?

Grace Foulk of Maize N Brew called the Spring game a “snooze fest." Why so? The annual Michigan Football spring game took place on Saturday, April 18, 2026, and the score ended 7-6 in favor of the Maize team. But even then, players like Tommy Carr caught the eye.

Whittingham and his coaching staff can also consider running back Jordan Marshall and the defensive line as wins.  

Since 2025, Bryce Underwood's name has always been spoken about. But the true freshman, Carr, has silently made a name for himself. In the spring game, he completed 15-of-23 passes for 113 yards and was not sacked when he was on the Maize Team. Carr also carried the ball six times for 51 yards. 

For the blue team, he completed 6-of-7 passes for 30 yards. This time, he took two sacks and carried the football four times for 16 yards. Overall, the quarterback had a good showing.

Running back Marshall, listed as another win, started right where he left off, coming back from an injury. In the spring game, his stats showed one part of the story. The Michigan star just had five carries for 21 yards. But he showed flashes of power, looking ready to hit those gaps.

The defensive line is another winner for the Wolverines. They struggled with short-yardage situations last season, but in the spring game were able to come away with a goal-line stop late in the game.

Amidst the wins, Underwood and the wide receivers unit fell into the category that disappointed Michigan. The Wolverines quarterback failed to find his footing, finishing 1-of-5 for the Maize team for 16 yards, and 2-of-4 for six yards for the Blue team.

Much like Underwood, Michigan's wide receivers unit had no luck. The Wolverines ranked 131st in passing offense last year, so all eyes were on the unit.

But only two stood out. Jaime Ffrench caught four passes on four targets for 26 yards. Salesi Moa was another option, but he got his yardage in smaller chunks and sealed his mark with an impressive one-handed catch.

A freshman who won the Michigan Wolverines head coach's heart

Savion Hiter, the five-star running back, had a good showcase in his first game wearing the Maize and Blue uniform. He had 10 carries for 44 yards. Stats-wise, it was not that impressive, but he embraced the physicality of Big Ten rushing.

“Savion (Hiter) really showed that he’s an explosive back,” Whittingham told reporters after the game. “He’s a powerful back that’s gonna be a big factor for us this fall.”

He makes good use of his build at 6-foot and weighing 210 pounds in lowering his shoulder and staying low to power through runs. Hiter's trademark has been elite open-field speed. Yet, during the Michigan Spring Game, he was dodging defenders and earning hard yards.

At Michigan Wolverines football, a new identity could be taking shape for Hiter.

Share your thoughts on how the Michigan Spring Game turned out.

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Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar