The Michigan Wolverines are inching closer to the spring game, and as fans we are inching closer to gaining answers to several positional questions. Will head coach Sherrone Moore still look to the portal after April 20? Is there an unexpected riser somewhere on the roster? Which freshmen have made the biggest strides? Could Henry “Downhill” Donohue wake up, look in the mirror, say “Hell yeah it’s Henry time!” and rush for 150 yards?
After the spring game, coaches can no longer hide behind hyperbole — think of all the statements made about Amorion Walker before Peyton O’Leary put him in the torture chamber last season — and the starting roster for Team 145 will begin to come into focus.
Let’s examine three critical positional battles for the Wolverines, but let’s do it a little bit differently. In honor of WrestleMania being this weekend, let’s look at these battles through a WWE lens. If these three positional battles were on a WrestleMania card, what would they look like?
LT and RT
Tag team Championship Match: Myles Hinton/Connor Jones vs. Jeff Persi/Andrew Gentry
The interior of Michigan’s offensive line feels set with Giovanni El-Hadi, Greg Crippen and Josh Priebe occupying the middle, but the battle on the edges is a complete toss-up with four viable contenders in the mix.
Jon Jansen has intimated on several occasions on the In the Trenches podcast that Myles Hinton and Connor Jones are leading the way at left and right tackle, respectively. However, last year, fans remember some of Hinton’s struggles at right tackle and Jones has appeared in all of two games along the offensive line.
Jeff Persi will contend for one of the starting positions and has starting experience at left tackle (Rutgers 2022), and Andrew Gentry is a massive wild card at 6-foot-7 and has appeared in nine games along the offensive line at both the guard and tackle.
This match would be similar to having solid, yet unproven champions who have been anointed by the authority going up against a wily vet and dynamic big man who could use some refinement on the mic.
CB-2
InterContinental Championship Ladder Match: Keshaun Harris vs. Brandyn Hillman vs. Jyaire Hill vs. D.J. Waller vs. Zeke Berry
For the uninitiated or those with girlfriends, the InterContinental (I.C.) Championship belt is often used to crown a rising star in the company. A wrestler who isn’t the headliner, but is often a great worker and ascending the established hierarchy.
With the loss of Rod Moore, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is going to have to shuffle the deck across two positions. The prevailing sentiment entering the spring was that Moore would move to nickel — similar to Dax Hill in 2021 — leaving Quentin Johnson and Makari Paige to man the safety positions, while Martindale searched for a boundary corner.
For argument’s sake, let’s presume Ja’Den McBurrows has taken over the nickel position and that the outside battle is still ongoing. With so many names in the mix, it is only appropriate to have a ladder match to crown the rising star next to Will Johnson.
Keshaun Harris feels like the favorite — the crafty veteran who has all the traits but hasn’t been able to put it all together. The trio of youngsters in Brandyn Hillman, Jyaire Hill and D.J. Waller are all exciting and each have unique skills, but are any of them ready for a role this big as true sophom*ores? Lastly, Zeke Berry, who is better suited for a nickel or safety role, is an elite athlete who cannot be counted out.
Harris feels like the guy to climb the ladder, but there is always the possibility McBurrows kicks outside and a different battle takes place for nickel.
“BY GOD IS THAT JA’DEN’S MUSIC?!”
QB-1
Fatal Fourway for the Universal Championship: Jack Tuttle vs. Alex Orji vs. Jayden Denegal vs. Jadyn Davis
What other battle could it be? Traditionally, it’s a cop-out to have a multi-man main event for a title, but who cares? There are four top contenders, and each has the same shot at starting in the fall.
This is the single most important battle for any college football team with national title aspirations — with a defense this good, this team has those aspirations — and winning this job instantly makes you the face of the team. Similar to how the Universal Championship makes someone the face of the company.
Jack Tuttle is the journeyman who was given a chance once, but the situation around him did him no favors. Alex Orji is the uber athlete who can do things no other contender can, but also struggles with the fundamentals. Jayden Denegal is a well-rounded option who could simply be missing the “it” factor, while Jadyn Davis has “it,” but remains to be seen if starting as a freshman would be too much for him.
Is it time for Tuttle to finish his story, or is Davis — similar to a fast-rising NXT product — just that undeniable? On April 20, we will learn who sits at the head of the table.
