[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
It’s been a long time coming, but in the month of April, once again, fans will be able to file back into Michigan Stadium to take in the Wolverines for the annual spring game.
In 2020, all of spring football was canceled due to COVID-19, and in 2021, the spring game was closed to the public. But with spring practice starting on Monday, Feb. 21, like we last saw in 2019, it’ll culminate in a scrimmage in which fans are allowed to attend, Jim Harbaugh told Jon Jansen on the ‘In the Trenches’ podcast.
“Yessir! Spring game is going to be April 2, unless it’s a complete — unless we have lightning, which we had one year,” Harbaugh said. “And we had to move that inside. But it’s gonna go off that day unless we’re in a pause, but I think the chances of that are not very likely. Even if we have to pause before that, we’ll do the spring game April 2.
“Do it how we like to do it — split up the staffs, Steve Clinkscale is gonna be the head coach of one of the teams, Sherrone Moore’s gonna be the head coach of the other, and we split the staffs and we have a draft, so we have two different teams. It’ll be one of those color out things — one team will be in the all-blues, the other will be in the all-maize, and it’ll be a football game. Make it as much like a football game as can be made. Guys get their, in some cases, their first chance to be in a game in The Big House. It’s always very exciting. Some of the starters — think of it like a preseason game — they may play a quarter, they may play a half. And the second half, guys play who haven’t played in a game before and they get their first experience of doing it. Opportunity all the way. And it’s fun and competitive.”
[listicle id=59124]
As far as spring practice is concerned, the team will go three times in the first week and then be given the following week off due to spring break. It’ll return the week after that.
But, given that this Michigan football squad has higher aspirations, especially given the College Football Playoff run from last year, what does Harbaugh want to see out of his team this spring?
Thus far, he’s loving what he’s seeing in winter conditioning, noting that it has a similar feel to last year. But when it comes to seeing the field, he wants to see that continue.
“There’s the using the example that what the team was and I’ve seen a continuation of that,” Harbaugh said. “If I had to boil it down to one thing, that was a ball team. That was a ball team that was your favorite ball team you were ever on. Think about little league or high school or college, or in your case pro. Think about your favorite ball team you were on, and that’s what it was like here in 2021, Michigan football program. I see the continuation of that.
“Like I said before, I look around, garner every single guy and go, ‘You, keep doing what you’re doing. It’s really good. It’s working. But don’t fall in love with your stuff. And, if you want to get a little bit better, work a little bit harder.’ Yeah, just keep her going, Jon. Just keep her going. I see over 100 examples of that daily when I’m walking through the weight room or see them out on the field training and going about their business, taking care of their business — they’re doing right. I catch them doing right all the time, this is — just excites the hell out of me.”
[listicle id=59224]