What to watch for in Ohio State, Michigan spring football games on FOX

The pillars of Big Ten football, Ohio State and Michigan, will have their spring games aired on FOX next month.

The two programs have moved in different directions, as Ohio State has lost three consecutive games to its bitter rival and missed the 2023 College Football Playoff, while Michigan just won the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship.

The twist in their respective states, however, is that the Buckeyes have pulled off a tremendous transfer portal class — namely getting former Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs and former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard — while the Wolverines are losing a plethora of starters to the 2024 NFL Draft, not to mention head coach Jim Harbaugh to the NFL.

Who will step up for these teams?

On the latest edition of “The No. 1 College Football Show with RJ Young,” host RJ Young explained why his eyes are primarily focused on the new faces in Ohio State’s offense in the spring game.

“Julian Sayin and Air Noland I want to see take snaps during the spring game, and I want to see them throw the ball around. I don’t want to see them take snaps and hand the ball to a tailback. I’m going to get enough of Dallan Hayden. I don’t need that,” Young said. “I need Julian Sayin slinging it. Run four verticals, let’s see what you got. Put Air Noland in the floods package or in levels concepts, and let me see them whip it around … I know what kind of a quarterback Will Howard is. The kind that can lead Kansas State to not just a Big 12 Championship, but knock off undefeated Texas Christian, who played in the National Championship Game just two years ago.”

Howard, a senior, transferred to Ohio State in January after spending the previous four seasons at Kansas State and serving as the school’s primary quarterback for the better part of the past two seasons.

Both Sayin and Noland are former five-star recruits, as the former transferred to Ohio State in January after originally enrolling at Alabama and the latter committed to play for the Buckeyes in December.

All the while, a new element in Ohio State’s offense is that head coach Ryan Day is delegating offensive play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the former UCLA head coach who also was Day’s head coach at New Hampshire.

Young is fascinated by how Ohio State will operate on that side of the ball. 

“Then, I get to see Ryan Day on a sideline without having to look at a play card for the first time like ever. I doubt that the man is actually going to have to consult his play card at all because his mentor, his coach in college, Chip Kelly is running the offense, and we all know what Chip Kelly is capable of as an offensive play-caller,” Young said.

Meanwhile, Michigan will also have a new quarterback in 2024, as two-year starter J.J. McCarthy is going pro. Alex Orji, Jayden Denegal, Davis Warren and Jadyn Davis are among the quarterbacks in the mix to start for Michigan.

Who will ultimately take the baton from McCarthy?

“Since you don’t want to tell us who the starter is, I’m going to tell you that it’s Alex Orji. That’s a guy who has been in the program, understands the system and also has snaps playing significant football in the National Championship Game,” Young said. “Quiet as it has been kept, Sherrone Moore’s been really smart about getting J.J. McCarthy, when he was backing up Cade McNamara, into the game, also smart in getting Alex Orji into the game in 2023 … 

“I think you have set Alex up to be the guy going into 2024. Let’s not complicate this, and take all of the emotion out of this decision coming in August. If you can get through the spring and announce that guy, announce that guy. Let the team rally around him. Let him know it’s his going into Week 1 and make it happen. Give him enough room to make some mistakes between now and then, as opposed to, alright, it’s your turn, go do that.'”

Moore, who was previously Michigan’s offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach after Harbaugh left to become the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore served as acting head coach for four games when Harbaugh was suspended at different points in the 2023 season. 

Among the standout hires for Moore’s coaching staff is long-time Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford, who left Columbus for the same position in Ann Arbor. Michigan has primarily relied on its running game in recent memory, specifically running backs Blake Corum — who’s going pro — and Donovan Edwards of late.

Young expects Alford to have a profound impact on Edwards, who will likely be Michigan’s lead back in 2024.

“His record of producing tailbacks is also one that he would like to keep very high. I think that Donovan Edwards is going to learn a lot from Alford. I think Alford’s going to learn a lot from being at Michigan, and then he’s obviously going to come in with a tremendous amount of knowledge of their most important foe, that is the Ohio State Buckeyes,” Young said. “All of that works together the way that I think it can, there’s no reason to believe that Donovan Edwards isn’t a 1,500-yard back with 15-20 touchdowns in 2024 and vaults back into that conversation leading Michigan to what they hope is yet another Big Ten championship and perhaps an opportunity to defend their national championship.”

Ohio State and Michigan will cross paths next season in “The Game” on Nov. 30 at Ohio Stadium.

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