Ja’Den McBurrows’ path to Michigan, outlook for 2024

The senior is primed to take over for a Michigan legend at nickel.

For the last two seasons, Mike Sainristil has patrolled the nickel spot in Michigan’s secondary and made life difficult for opposing offenses. Now that he’s gone, someone new will step into the role and attempt to replace the production and leadership void.

Enter Ja’Den McBurrows. McBurrows has been a part of Michigan’s program since his freshman season in 2021, and thus far hasn’t played a major role. That’ll change this season as he seems poised to start at nickel for the Wolverines.

Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at McBurrows, digging into his career in Ann Arbor thus far. We’ll also tell you a bit about what to expect from McBurrows on the field during the 2024 season.

The story so far

As a member of the 2021 recruiting class, Ja’Den McBurrows committed to Michigan all the way back in April of 2020 despite holding offers from numerous powerhouse programs.

He might have been a bit overlooked in the recruiting process, even by Michigan fans, thanks in part to his relatively low three-star rating via the 247Sports Composite , as well as his standing as the No. 555 player nationally and the No. 78 player in Florida that year.

Despite the low rankings, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School product was lauded for his football instincts as well as his motor, traits that Jim Harbaugh and company certainly welcomed with open arms.

McBurrows’ tenure in Ann Arbor got off to a relatively slow start, as he only appeared in two games during his freshman season in 2021. In those games, he made two tackles and saw playing time in the secondary and on special teams. He did suffer an injury as well prior to the College Football Playoff matchup with Georgia, which would end up keeping him sidelined all the way through the offseason and his sophomore year in 2022.

Fortunately, McBurrows was able to get back into action for the start of his junior season in 2023. He appeared in 11 games this past year, seeing time at corner and on special teams. On the year he finished with seven total tackles, including two for a loss. He also recorded an interception and was Michigan’s defensive player of the week in the a win over Michigan State .

Interestingly enough, McBurrows got most of his snaps in the secondary from the nickel spot last year. He appeared to be the primary backup to Mike Sainristil, potentially priming him to take over the spot during the 2024 season. Him and Zeke Berry both got meaningful reps there as well during the 2024 spring game.

Outlook for 2024

Michigan returns plenty of production on the defensive side of the ball, but the nickel spot is one area with no incumbent starter. McBurrows performed admirably in spot duty behind Sainristil last year and has as much experience there as any other defensive back on the roster.

Because of his performance thus far and all the offseason buzz, he seems primed to take over the starting spot this season. He’ll have to fend off Zeke Berry to fully take over the position, but McBurrows appears to have the inside track thus far.

Even in his limited sample size, McBurrows has caught some national attention already, as he was named as a potential breakout candidate for Michigan by Pro Football Focus earlier this offseason.

Additionally, McBurrows could serve a valuable role as a leader during the 2024 season, as his entire college career thus far has been in Michigan’s Ravens-style defense. It will be that way again under the system’s architect Wink Martindale, so McBurrows could be a candidate to mentor younger players and incoming transfers.

Regardless of the type of role he takes on, McBurrows’ experience thus far on the field and with the program should help him perform admirably in 2024. It might be a stretch to think he can be a one-to-one replacement for Mike Sainristil, but he should be a solid contributor this year nonetheless.