Injury report: The Michigan Wolverines we don't expect to play in spring game

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s game day in Ann Arbor once again, with Michigan Wolverines football set to play a split-squad scrimmage to conclude spring practices.

While the annual spring game is a great opportunity for Wolverines to show out in front of fans at The Big House, not every player will be available. In the past, Michigan has been cautious with players that are banged up, limiting risk by holding them out of the scrimmage. In addition, proven commodities may not play or will just see limited action, also to lessen the chance for injury.

There are some Michigan players that won’t suit up Saturday, even though they’ve been placed on either the blue or maize team.

Senior safety Rod Moore suffered a severe knee injury early in spring ball and was slated to have surgery. He posted on social media earlier this week from California. Michigan defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator LaMar Morgan said earlier this month that Moore has remained engaged and been helping him coach.

“He got injured. Let me talk about Rod real quick,” Morgan said April 10. “The guy gets injured; the next day he’s the first guy in the front seat in every meeting. He hasn’t missed anything; he’s asking questions. He’s unbelievable. That’s the culture that we have here.

“It’s hard to miss somebody like that — it’s really hard to get over it — and right now we’re just trying to be with him at every turn. Whenever he needs to get the surgery, we’ll all be behind him, the whole program. Everybody’s excited about that.”

Moore, a 6-0, 198-pounder notched the game-sealing interception in Michigan’s 30-23 win over Ohio State last season. He was named third-team All-Big Ten, recording 48 tackles and 2 picks.

Michigan graduate quarterback Jack Tuttle, who returned for his seventh year of college football, will also be out, having missed spring practices while recovering from an injury. Head coach Sherrone Moore said before spring ball began that he’s “working through something,” choosing not to specify his exact status.

Tuttle is expected to compete for the starting quarterback job in the fall.

Michigan senior defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny is dealing with a lower left leg injury he suffered during the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl. He missed the Jan. 8 national championship game and spring ball. TheWolverine.com has seen Benny rehabbing at Glick Fieldhouse, the team’s indoor practice facility, and he’s appeared in photos on social media without a brace, cast or boot while observing practices.

“Not available to play, but he’s still done an unbelievable job this spring of coaching guys and helping guys out,” Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito said April 16. “You watch him at every practice, he’s grabbing guys. And that’s the one thing I talked to him about is how do you keep guys involved when they’re not able to physically go out there.”

Esposito added that Benny should be healthy enough to participate in fall camp.

Benny tallied 27 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and 1 sack, last season. He also forced a fumble to set the tone in the second half of a 24-15 win over Penn State, which was recovered by fellow Detroit native and Michigan safety Makari Paige.

Graduate safety Quinten Johnson originally declared for the NFL Draft in February before announcing he will return for the 2024 season a month later. A source told TheWolverine.com that he won’t play Saturday, even though he’s listed as a member of the blue team. He’s also listed as an alumni in the school directory and may not be enrolled again until this summer.

Johnson has also been working back from a hamstring injury he suffered last postseason. He played just one special teams snap in the national championship game against Washington, after coming up big with a key fumble recovery in the Rose Bowl one week earlier.

Johnson made 22 tackles with 1 interception, 5 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble for Michigan in 2023.

As mentioned, Michigan players that aren’t 100-percent healthy may be held out. Sophomore defensive tackle Trey Pierce is in that category, with Esposito saying earlier this week that he’s missed time.

“He’s done a great job,” Esposito said of Pierce. “I got to come here. He practiced a couple times, he got dinged up a little bit. He’s come back, got dinged back up.”

Sophomore running back Cole Cabana also missed practice time with an injury earlier this spring, position coach Tony Alford said April 10, calling the ailment “not major.” He’s since been seen shown as suited up in social media posts by Michigan football.

Finally, some Michigan offensive linemen have been banged up, too, according to The Wolverine’s Chris Balas.