Three Things We Learned From Saturday's College Football Spring Games: Ohio State's Offense Looks Recession-Proof
The biggest storyline of spring football Saturday had nothing to do with what happened on the field, and everything to do with what happened over the field.
As Virginia Tech prepared to welcome coach James Franklin, its fans watched in horror as a skydiver parachuting onto the Lane Stadium turf crashed into the stadium scoreboard. The skydiver was unhurt, but his travails attracted national attention.
The Hokies were one of dozens of Division I teams to play spring football Saturday, from Duke in the morning to Utah Tech late in the evening. Here's a look what stood out in week two of mainstream spring play-aerial mishaps not included.
Ohio State has found another stud wide receiver-and possibly another stud quarterback
In the age of the transfer portal, some programs have become reluctant to televise their spring games, lest opposing staffs gain tape to work from. At the other end of the spectrum sit the Buckeyes, seemingly eager to show other teams their vulgar display of wealth on a rainy Saturday in Ohio's capital. The headliner was wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., who was all over the place by spring-game standards to the tune of four catches for 96 yards. The blue-chip freshman's father was Chris Henry, the former West Virginia and Bengals wide receiver who died in 2009.
Equally intriguing to Ohio State fans was the quarterback throwing to Henry-no, not 2025 fourth-place Heisman finisher Julian Sayin. Redshirt freshman quarterback Tavien St. Clair-a native of nearby Bellefontaine-found Henry for a 40-yard touchdown pass en route to a 9-for-21, 166-yard afternoon through the air. Should Sayin struggle or hurt himself, the Buckeyes will be in good hands, as the most recession-proof program in the sport has been for the better part of 80 years.
At Michigan, tough sledding for Bryce Underwood
The perpetually young Underwood will turn 19 just 17 days before the Wolverines kick off their season against Western Michigan. He has his whole football life ahead of him, and his `25 performance was rock-solid for a quarterback of his youth. And yet-Michigan fans probably wanted to see more from Underwood Saturday, even in a wonky spring setting. The Detroit native completed three of nine passes for 22 yards and took a pair of sacks.
Now, as we discussed with Tennessee last Saturday, Underwood's struggles could be flipped to mean the Wolverines remain potent on defense-which they in all likelihood do, especially under a defensive whiz like new coach Kyle Whittingham. However, Michigan defended well in both 2024 and `25 while finishing 113th and 69th in scoring offense, respectively. It's that side of the ball that needs to take a giant step forward in `26 for the Wolverines to effectively navigate a schedule that includes Oklahoma, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State.
Full steam ahead for Alberto Mendoza at Georgia Tech
Worried about college football bequeathing the wholesomeness of the Mendoza family to the NFL this week? In the words of a wise former Hoosiers coach-not so fast. Quarterback Alberto Mendoza, Fernando's younger brother, arrived at Georgia Tech this offseason with very little experience under his belt-just 25 pass attempts, five of which turned into touchdowns. Now, he appears primed to win the starting job, replacing program great Haynes King.
Saturday's spring game in Atlanta, then, was something of a coronation. Mendoza completed 12 of 16 passes for 148 yards, and tossed an 18-yard score to wide receiver Debron Gatling. Coach Brent Key played coy postgame, but conceded to reporters that "if we started a game today, he would be the guy." If-huge if-the Yellow Jackets can spring a Sept. 12 home upset of the Volunteers, Mendoza and friends could be 5-0 when they visit Virginia Tech in October.
More College Football from Sports Illustrated
- USC's Recent Recruiting Tear Has the Trojans in a Trolling Mood
- Virginia Tech Gives Promising Update on Status of Skydiver Who Collided With Lane Stadium Scoreboard
- Michigan AD Warde Manuel Is Still Picking Up the Pieces After Sherrone Moore's Acrimonious Exit
- Get Ready for the College Football Season to Start Earlier Than Ever
- ‘It Wasn't Fun': Arch Manning Reveals Why He Believed He Struggled Early in First Year As Texas Starter
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Things We Learned From Saturday's College Football Spring Games: Ohio State's Offense Looks Recession-Proof.
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This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 10:54 AM.