One is a freak, the other a runt. Junior Frank Clark is a 274-pound behemoth at defensive end. Fifth-year senior Jeremy Gallon is a 5-foot-8 speedster at receiver.

In stature, the two are opposites. But with the loss of Michigan’s two playmakers from 2012 — Denard Robinson to graduation and redshirt junior linebacker Jake Ryan to injury — each has become the most exciting player on the field. And in Saturday’s Spring Game, each was the player to watch on his side of the ball.

Redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner took Gallon to his church a few weeks ago. A young fan approached Gallon.

“A little kid walked up and was like, ‘Hey you play high school. I’m going to high school too!’ ” Gardner recalled, laughing. “I was like, ‘Ooh. Gonna have to get a little bigger, a little taller or lift or something, you know?’ ”

Then Gardner introduced Gallon to the pastor. The pastor didn’t recognize Gallon. He pegged the receiver at 6-foot-3.

“That just speaks a lot for the way he plays and how tough he is and how big he actually plays.”

Gallon is so short that diminutive senior receiver Drew Dileo likes to remind the press that at 5-foot-10, Dileo is actually two inches taller than his teammate. “Don’t let him tell you differently,” Dileo says.

But when Robinson went out with an injury last year, Gallon filled the big-play void. In Michigan’s last five games, with Gardner as quarterback, Gallon caught 31 passes for 511 yards and three touchdowns. In the Outback Bowl against South Carolina, Gallon hauled in nine passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

Again on Saturday, Gallon was Gardner’s favorite target. Gallon was targeted more than any other receiver in the situational scrimmage, and he caught three passes for 22 yards, unofficially.

On the other side of the ball, Clark spent much of the day lined up against All-American fifth-year senior tackle Taylor Lewan. Clark has spent much of the spring sparring with Lewan in practice.

On Saturday, he was asked, again, who typically wins the battle.

“I’ve gotten that question so many times,” Clark said with a smile before saying that the matchup has been even.

If Gallon, as Gardner said, plays sneakily big, then Clark plays sneaky fast. Clark played safety in high school but added 50 pounds during his time at Michigan.

Now 274 pounds, Clark hasn’t lost his speed, according to Dileo.

“When you have a D-end who’s probably as fast as some of your receivers, that classifies you as a freak,” Dileo said. “Just a monster.”

Last year, Clark showed flashes of athleticism but struggled with consistency. He also was suspended for Michigan’s first game before pleading guilty to a felony count of second-degree home invasion. He was arrested on June 14 for attempting to steal a laptop from Stockwell Hall.

This year, Clark said he has looked to seniors like Gardner to become a better leader. He has also tried to add consistency to his playmaking ability.

“I wanted to be that player who coach Mattison can rely on,” Clark said. “With one of our key players, Jake Ryan going down, I know he’s looking for that next player to step into that new role and be that player for him, and that’s what I want to be. I want to be that player he can look and go, ‘I know Frank’s going to make a play.’ ”

Lewan neutralized Clark for much of Saturday. But later in the practice, Clark moved to the right side of Michigan’s line.

The play ended in a sack.