ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On Saturday at noon EDT, Michigan fans will finally get a chance to preview the 2022 iteration of the Wolverines when the maize team takes on the blue team in the annual spring game. Though there’s a lot of curiosity about the state of the defense, the offense hopes to come out and impress right out of the gates.
That’s because there’s so much returning talent, with that side of the ball having only lost three starters — running back Hassan Haskins, right tackle Andrew Stueber, and center Andrew Vastardis. But those who are stepping up in those roles have the potential to be just as good.
The good thing about having so much returning talent is that, despite there being a change at offensive coordinator — Sherrone Moore and Matt Weiss are taking over for Josh Gattis, who left for the Miami (Fla.) job this offseason — that side of the ball should be able to play fast, having so much familiarity with the system, as well as the personnel being comfortable with each other.
And that’s the impression that third-year defensive tackle Kris Jenkins Jr. has gotten through the bulk of spring ball, as he’s gone up against the offense.
“Oh, I definitely think it’s faster,” Jenkins said. “A lot of the offensive guys have come back, so you can definitely like feel that chemistry still there. And it’s really cool to see that take form and they’re not slowing down anytime soon. They’re ready to keep building, keep climbing and it is really, really cool to see because last year, a lot of people said we had a young offense and they still (made plays) and everyone was able to see that this year. They’re still moving off of that.
“They’ve been pushing our defense a lot. We’ve been pushing them as well. So it’s really cool to see us complement each other. The offense is just…
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