Michigan’s defensive backfield will look different this season, but with returning talent and depth it has the pieces to excel.
With the departure of so many players to the NFL and the transfer portal, the Michigan football team has a lot of work to do to retool and reload each position. Looking at the secondary, that’s definitely true.
With two of the Wolverines’ starting cornerbacks, Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace, getting drafted this offseason, Michigan will have to fill in the holes they’ve left. That isn’t going to be a problem for the Wolverines, though, given the depth of their backfield.
“I feel great about the depth,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said. “Obviously in the secondary, you got Will Johnson, who’s the best corner in college football. And then opposite of him (there’s) a good number of guys. The guy right now looks like Jyaire Hill, but Aamir Hall obviously came in, Ricky Johnson has come in. … So we’re excited about all those corners.”
The defensive backfield may look different for Michigan next year with several pieces coming from the transfer portal, but in one way it will be extremely familiar. That’s because the Wolverines still have their lockdown cornerback in Will Johnson.
Entering his third season, Johnson has already established his dominance. Last season he started 11 games, made 27 tackles, and had four interceptions; the impressive campaign earned him All-American First Team and All-Big Ten selection honors. Johnson was so lethal for Michigan that he even earned defensive MVP in the National Championship Game — and he did all of that as a sophomore.
Now he has an opportunity to take another step, this time as the leader of the Wolverines’ secondary. Besides Johnson, many questions remain about who else will step up and excel. Given Michigan’s depth, the new-look defensive backfield has the pieces to answer that.
Hill, who Moore indicated is the leading candidate to start opposite Johnson, has an opportunity to make a major leap in his second season. In his freshman year, he didn’t see the field very much, appearing in just four games. Still, his eight tackles indicate his potential, and now in 2024, he has the chance to prove that potential.
Looking at Michigan’s safeties it’s a similar story. Just like how the Wolverines have a proven cornerback in Johnson, they also have a proven safety in Makari Paige.
Paige is one of Michigan’s key returning players and will be a pivotal leader at safety this season. In his senior season, he made 41 tackles, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery, earning him an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
The Wolverines are much deeper than just Paige at safety, though.
“At safety, we got Makari Paige, obviously,” Moore said. “Unfortunately Rod (Moore) won’t be there, but I feel like we got some guys that can come in and really help. Having Quinton Johnson back has been huge. Zeke Berry, he’s really really taking the step to this area, had a great spring and excited to see him.”
Losing Rod Moore — Michigan’s starting safety — this offseason leaves the Wolverines with some work to do to reload the backfield. To fill his vacancy, Michigan has several options vying for the role. With Quinton Johnson and Berry stepping up and preparing for the possibility of a larger role, the Wolverines’ backfield will certainly look different, but it will also have depth.
“We got a lot of competition, and we say the depth chart is ever-flowing,” Moore said. “It never, never stops. So we’ll continue to see who wins the job.”
With key pieces of the defensive backfield departing this offseason, Michigan has a lot of work to do to reload its secondary. But with the Wolverines’ depth, they are well-equipped to do just that.