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Each year, spring practices give coaching staffs a chance to learn who the new contributors will be during the upcoming season. With roster churn at an all-time high in college football, the depth chart can change drastically over the course of just a few months, and the new puzzle pieces will quickly need to be put together.
While the influx of transfers and early-enrolling freshmen can give teams a quick fix at positions of need, it can also make it difficult for returning players to ascend the depth chart as they originally planned. That’s no exception this year, as a handful of Michigan players are at risk of losing playing time if they aren’t able to take a meaningful step this spring.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at three Wolverines who have the most to lose if things don’t break the right way at the end of spring practices.
QB Jadyn Davis
Around this time last year, there was plenty of hope for Davis as a highly-touted incoming freshman. But over the course of the summer and fall, things seem to have soured on Davis and the rest of the quarterback room. Although he was just a freshman, Michigan’s quarterbacks struggled mightily, and it seemed telling Davis hardly saw the field and wasn’t able to get snaps in garbage time or in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Fast forward to this spring and Michigan now has another highly-touted freshman in Bryce Underwood, who has drawn rave reviews so far. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he has already jumped Davis on the depth chart. Add in the fact Michigan also brought in Mikey Keene, and it could be very difficult for Davis to see the field once again this fall.
LB Jimmy Rolder
Now entering his fourth season with the program, Rolder has spent the past three seasons somewhat buried on the depth chart. To date, he hasn’t been higher than the No. 3 man in the rotation, and it doesn’t look like that will change this year with Ernest Hausmann and Jaishawn Barham both back.
To make things a bit more interesting, Michigan has another player that could leapfrog Rolder in sophomore Cole Sullivan. Sullivan was pretty much relegated to special teams duty last year, but head coach Sherrone Moore has been complimentary of him in the past and it wouldn’t be a shock if his progression has led to him carving out a bigger role this year. By doing so, Sullivan would likely cut into Rolder’s snaps and make things much more difficult for the senior.
S Jaden Mangham
Mangham was a big-time get for Michigan in the transfer portal a year ago, but he didn’t play much in 2024 due to injury. Even a year later and after getting more acclimated to Wink Martindale’s defense, it could still be an uphill battle for the former Spartan.
Safety could wind up being a position where there are too many bodies and not enough snaps to go around. Brandyn Hillman seems like a good bet to get the most snaps of the group after his strong end to 2024, while returning players like Rod Moore and Mason Curtis should get their fair share as well. Incoming transfer T.J. Metcalf and freshman Jordan Young also cloud the picture.
It would be no shock if Mangham is able to burst through the crowd and have a larger role this fall, but the competition could also prove to be too much to overcome.
Other potential players on the outside looking in: RB Ben Hall, WR Kendrick Bell, TE Brady Prieskorn, OL Luke Hamilton, DL Ike Iwunnah, LB Jaydon Hood, CB Ja’Den McBurrows
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