As ever:

The Gattis Effect

Also they ran like three RPOs. And had the #22 standard downs run rate despite having a much better passing offense than rushing offense. Protection worries may have had something to do with that, but there are ways to mitigate your issues at right tackle that include ever running a slant. Pep Hamilton got the axe after last year and found a landing place in the XFL, which hired him probably because they can pay him peanuts he next couple years as he collects checks from Michigan. Which says somethin' about somethin'.

Enter Josh Gattis, possessor of the keys and sporter of a #speedinspace hashtag. All indications are that Michigan's going to the spread check-with-me, never-huddle offense that pretty much everyone in college football uses these days. It's not going to be Chaosteam-era Indiana, but it doesn't have to be. Alabama spent large chunks of each game choking out their opponents last year and they were still 85th in tempo, only a hair worse than average. Michigan doesn't have to go light speed all the time. They do have to have it as an option.

So: check-with-me on the sideline, the ability to go tempo in certain situations, a two-minute drill that looks like they've practiced it. Check those boxes and everyone goes home happy.

[After THE JUMP: backup quarterbacks! A bonafide slot receiver!]

Donovan Jeter and Mazi Smith

Jeter is almost the last man standing from his giant DL class [Barron]

For the first time in a long, long time Michigan enters the spring game with an established, good-ish offensive line and major questions on the DL. Reps that Jeter and Smith get against the top unit are meaningful measuring sticks. Heck, if they can do things against the second-string interior OL of Filiaga/Spanellis/Honigford that's decently encouraging since all those guys are third year players.

Donovan Jeter and Smith stand out amongst the rest of the DL crew as guys to watch. Dwumfour's injury, while likely not an issue for fall, is still severe enough to draw that weird press conference bit. He's still hurting; if he looks iffy that's probably the foot. Carlo Kemp seems to be in the incremental improvement phase of his career. And… those are the only other scholarship DTs on the roster aside from Phil Paea, who keeps bouncing between OL and DL. Yikes.

Michigan is almost certainly going to kick down one or both of Julius Welschof and Taylor Upshaw at some point but that point has not apparently come. Harbaugh's presser from about a week ago:

Julius Welschof’s made a move. He’s backing up Aidan Hutchinson right now. Taylor Upshaw’s also rising on the depth chart, and Gabe Newburg.

Michigan has split Kwity Paye and Hutchinson until the arrival of Mike Danna presumably puts both guys at anchor; Harbaugh is discussing the DEs there.

Ben Mason does exist but I'm pretty skeptical he can be an impactful player the year after a position switch as a radically undersized DT. Maybe next year.

Mike Sainristil

Michigan's skill position recruiting was extremely strange unless deposing Pep and replacing him with a modern OC was a fait accompli last summer. First they recruited Eric Gray, an emphatically spread tailback. Then they added Giles Jackson, an Oregon-style slot receiver, and George Johnson III, a quarterback in the Denard mold who Michigan plans on converting to receiver.

Gray started wobbling so Michigan picked up an on-and-off relationship with then-BC-commit Mike Sainristil, finally allowing him to commit late in the cycle. But "late" in this context is still early November, before Josh Gattis was hired, or even known to be available. Michigan's Gattis push only came after he was announced as Maryland's new OC—Harbaugh came out of left field.

So Michigan had inexplicably added three explosive waterbug types just in time for a guy who loves him some slot receiver. Sainristil is the only one of those guys already on campus, and in a depleted WR corps he's standing out as a quick, fun little bugger per various practice reports. Seeing him in action should 1) be fun and 2) be part of the Gattis Effect reveal.

Backup Quarterbacks, As Always

looks like Navarre, runs like Denard [Bryan Fuller]

Chatter that Dylan McCaffrey has looked better than Shea Patterson this spring is almost certainly going to peter out into nothing. Returning starters with a 65% completion rate, 8 YPA, a 22-7 TD-INT ratio, and 425 rushing yards at 7.7 a pop get replaced zero percent of the time. The most McCaffrey can hope for sans injury is a trick play or two.

Even so, non-Patterson quarterbacks will be exciting to watch because McCaffrey and Joe Milton are some of the most potential-laden guys to wander into the QB room in forever. McCaffrey's arm strength was always the question with him, but no one quite understood the fact that he'd be able to outrun linebackers if he got a chance. Two years in a filled-in version of McCaffrey will be approaching a product Michigan can happily put on the field, and if that's in the ballpark of a guy with those stats when McCaffrey is a redshirt sophomore, hoo boy.

Arm strength was the last thing anyone ever worried about with Milton. A dismal high school completion percentage, and a reputation as a Navarre sort of pocket-bound guy, were the main issues. Milton didn't get as many chances as McCaffrey to demonstrate what he could do but did have a couple of weaving runs that belied his high school stats. He, too, has masive upside. We'll get our first extended look at it on Saturday.

Cam McGrone

We have exactly one McGrone picture at present [Barron]

Devin Bush is dead, long live Devin Bush. Josh Ross is the guy who will step into Bush's shoes as the linchpin of the second level, but I've already charted a season of Josh Ross and am here to tell you he's going to be really good as long as he's not picking OL out of his teeth constantly.

The real spring intrigue is at the other spot, where Devin Gil is the guy you'd expect to step into the starting job after splitting time about 40-60 with Ross last year. Gil, however, performed significantly worse than Ross (in your author's eyes, anyway). The door might be open if anyone wants to burst through it with feathers in their mouth, baying for blood. Enter Cam McGrone, a linebacker who I still think got his massive boost in recruting hype because people drew a straight line from him to Bush. Seth:

The same insider said they’re really pushing Gil to take the next step, attacking instead of reacting, and playing faster, but added one more tidbit I found way more interesting: Cam McGrone is coming on quickly, and if he continues on his current trajectory he’ll be in the mix to start.

The highest upside version of the defense has McGrone as a frequent guest, first on passing downs and then maybe eating into Gil's time on standard downs. Since he did not enroll early or play last year this will be our first opportunity to see him in the flesh.