Makari Paige is expected to be one of the leaders and top players in Michigan’s secondary. Here’s what to expect from him this fall.
The 2020 season feels like a millennia ago. That’s when the Michigan Wolverines had their last losing season, going 2-4. There aren’t many current Wolverines that battled through the adversity with that team, but safety Makari Paige is one of the few.
The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder has fought from being the lowest-rated of three safety recruits in the 2020 recruiting class to winning the National Championship and headlining the final line of defense at the safety position.
The story so far
Like many of the established veterans on this year’s team, Paige has been on a roller coaster of a career. As a true freshman in 2020, Paige didn’t play much under former defensive coordinator Don Brown, and he played even less as a sophomore, tallying just two tackles.
Paige could have departed for a new school after either season, but he continued to try to make it work in Ann Arbor. Despite being jumped on the depth chart by RJ Moten and true freshman Rod Moore, Paige put in the work over the offseason into the 2022 season and fought his way into a starting role by Week 5 against the Iowa Hawkeyes . The trick? Learning to stop the run and improving his coverage skills.
Over the next two seasons, Paige totaled 81 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception as the starting strong safety. In 2023, he only missed three total tackles and allowed just eight receptions on 14 targets in coverage, totaling 86 yards. With career-best numbers, an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and a national championship ring, Paige could have went to the NFL but chose to come back for a fifth season.
Outlook moving forward
Paige is a well-established veteran for newly-hired defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and first-year secondary coach Lamar Morgan. While he was expected to be one-half of a great duo, his safety mate, Rod Moore, suffered a torn ACL back in March and underwent surgery in late April. The injury will likely sideline Moore for the entire season, though it’s somewhat possible — but not likely — he could return at the end of the year.
With the injury to Moore, there is a position battle for the second safety position between former Tennessee Volunteer Wesley Walker, former Michigan State Spartan Jaden Mangham, graduate student Quinten Johnson, junior Zeke Berry and sophomore Brandyn Hillman. With the uncertainty of who will get the nod, Paige is expected to be one of the leaders and top players in Michigan’s secondary.