The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/666058
M ichigan concluded spring practice April 1, and for the next four months here are the big questions facing the Wolver- ines. Who should start the season opener at quar- terback? The most important question of 2016 likely comes down to this: can redshirt junior John O'Korn, who appears to have greater upside than redshirt sophomore Wilton Speight, harness that tal- ent and play the type of smart, low-mistake football required by head coach Jim Harbaugh? Speight "won" the spring game, his 202.73 pass efficiency rating dwarfing O'Korn's 98.66, after com- pleting 5 of 6 attempts for 46 yards with a touchdown. His style isn't pretty. He muscles the ball when he needs to make a throw with some zip, while he moves around the pocket like John Navarre (2000-03). O'Korn has the fluidity and feet of (a good) Tate Forcier, and better arm strength than Speight. Speight may not have the high ceil- ing of O'Korn, but he looked steadier in the spring, made fewer bad plays and shows the confidence to be the offense's leader. Harbaugh knows QBs bet- ter than anyone, but he might ulti- mately decide to play both in the non-conference and see who seizes the starting job. Could a fresh- man offensive lineman start? Of- fensive coordinator and offensive line coach Tim Drevno intimated that a rookie could come in and compete along the offensive line in preseason camp, his comments either speaking to the capabilities of the incoming three-man class or to the struggle of the current starting five. Four-star newcomers Michael On- wenu and Ben Bredeson are physi- MAIZE N' VIEW MICHAEL SPATH Questions Coming Out Of Spring Redshirt sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight performed well in the spring game, completing 5 of 6 passes for 46 yards with a touchdown. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN