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Michigan Football: 3 storylines to follow in spring 2021

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 14, 2020; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Mike Sainristil (19) receives congratulations from quarterback Cade McNamara (12) after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2020; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines wide receiver Mike Sainristil (19) receives congratulations from quarterback Cade McNamara (12) after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan football has a ton of questions to answer this spring as Jim Harbaugh was given a second chance. What storylines should we be following?

After a tumultuous 2020 season, Jim Harbaugh was placed firmly on the hot seat. There were fans and alumni calling for his job, but he was able to earn an extension from the school but took a paycut in the process.

The Wolverines finished second-to-last in the Big Ten East and didn’t look particularly solid on either side of the ball.

In fact, Josh Gattis and the offense struggled as the quarterback situation was a nightmare after Joe Milton didn’t live up to lofty expectations. The defense was horrid under Don Brown yet again and that led to Harbaugh moving on from him.

There are a ton of question marks surrounding this team heading into a crucial spring.

3. Running back battle

There may be a lot of question marks on the offensive side of the ball, but few are bigger than who should get a bulk of the carries at running back.

New running backs coach Mike Hart will have some pieces to work with and he’s familiar with the program and what it takes to succeed in the backfield, but will he manage the backs correctly?

Hassan Haskins returns as the leading rusher from a year ago after putting up 375 yards and six touchdowns on 6.1 yards per touch. Blake Corum is also back, but Chris Evans and Zach Charbonnet have both left the program. That opens the door for someone like Donovan Edwards who was a very highly-touted running back in the 2021 class.

Will Edwards do enough to steal some carries from the veterans or will Haskins dominate the workload with Corum?

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