What will Michigan Football’s offense look like under new quarterback Alex Orji?
“Hail Yes!” hosts Tony Garcia and Rainer Sabin discuss what the Michigan football team’s offense will look like with Alex Orji at the helm.
A difficult task just got even harder for the Michigan football team, as star tight end Colston Loveland will not be available for tonight’s Big Ten Conference opener against USC (3:30 p.m., CBS), according to the availability report that teams must submit to the league two hours before kickoff.
Loveland, the Wolverines’ leading receiver through three weeks with 19 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown, appeared to suffer an upper-body injury in the second quarter of last week’s game against Arkansas State. Although he returned in the third quarter and caught a pass, he left the game immediately after the pass catch and did not return.
Marlin Klein is UM’s highly touted backup tight end.
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Coaches have remained tight-lipped about Loveland’s status since Monday. Head coach Sherrone Moore never ruled him out, instead saying he would “leave that up to the coaches” while the tight end tries to practice throughout the week. His position coach Steve Casula said all players practice every day unless a player suffers a brain injury or is dealing with a season-long illness, but that “can look different” for everyone depending on their health status.
Loveland’s presence looms large, not only as a preseason All-American and projected first-round pick in next year’s NFL Draft, but also as a small success UM had in the air, largely falling to No. 18. Additionally, Michigan is working on a new quarterback in Alex Orji, who will be making his first career start. Loveland’s 6-foot-5 frame and sure hands would have been a needed safety.
Instead, it’s up to Klein to take on a leadership role as a pass catcher.
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Coaches and teammates raved about Klein, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end from Germany, during training camp and last week. He contributed when he was needed. The redshirt sophomore had three catches for 42 yards, the most of any team, and is one of three players on the team with 50 receiving yards through three games.
Michigan will also be without safety Jaden Mangham, defensive back Micah Pollard, running back Jordan Marshall and linebacker Jason Hewlett for this game. In addition, senior safety Rod Moore (torn ACL) is suffering from a serious injury, which occurred earlier this spring and is out indefinitely.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @RealTonyGarcia.
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