The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE ❱ APRIL 2023 "The vision would be that someday he will be a great corner and a receiver as well in college." Harbaugh even brought out one more description even more flattering than the oth- ers " He co u l d b e t h e type of corner that's just … like a unicorn. That's the best comparison," said the coach. SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS Such praise sets an extremely high bar, of course. The added pressure that comes with it might cause angst in some athletes. Harbaugh, though, always seems to know what he's doing when it comes to position switches and how to mo- tivate his players. Moving Sainristil was the head coach's idea, his assistants noted last year. He's got an eye for it, and most of the time it works out. Back in the day, it was Richard Sherman at Stan- ford who moved from re- ceiver to corner and be- came one of the best of his generation in the NFL. At Michigan it was Zach Gentry at tight end, Ben Mason to fullback … the list goes on. Walker's move might be in the experimental stage, but all signs point to a guy with next-level potential on defense and the ability to help on offense when he gets comfortable. "There's no doubt in my mind that he would excel and thrive both as a wide receiver and as a defensive back, as a corner," Har- baugh said. "We just really tried to find the absolute best po- sition for him for his ca- reer … where's he going to make the greatest impact over the course of his ca- reer, benefit the most from his football ability. You just don't know for sure whether it's receiver or corner. "The length he has, the athletic ability that he has, speed that he has, and the change of direction for a guy that's 6-3, 6-4 — it's rare for a corner to be able to have that length and speed but also have that change of direction." Harbaugh first approached Clinkscale about it last year, picking his brain to see if he saw the same thing. They started with him in third-down packages, pri- marily man coverages, and other basics to see if he was as good as they expected. He appears to be on his way. But it won't be handed to him, and he under- stands that. Sophomore Myles Pollard, junior Ja'Den McBur- rows, some young fresh- men and other veterans have their eyes on the job, as well. Sainristil, too, has been playing corner this spring in addition to the nickel position in which he excelled last year. There will also likely be some growing pains, and that's understood. Sainristil set a high bar with his performance last year — his play at Ohio State in his first sea- son of The Game on that side of the ball was exemplary — and while both he and Walker played defense in high school, Sainristil had more experience with it. "He might not pick up on it as fast as I did or as fast as coaches might want him to right now, which is OK," Sainristil said, preaching patience. "He has time, and I'll make sure I help him as best as I can because I know how it feels to switch from offense to defense. I know that there can be thoughts of 'This might be too hard — I just want to go back to offense.' "I'm going to make sure I take him under my wing and help him as much as I can." EYE-OPENING ATHLETICISM Through three quarters of spring ball, it was so far, so good. Walker was still learning after spending most of last season playing wide receiver, but he was starting to win his share of one-on-one battles and becoming more technically sound. It's only a matter of time under Clinkscale's tutelage — he's as good a teacher as there is, the folks at Schembechler Hall will tell you — and Walk- ❱ Jim Harbaugh "He could be the type of corner that's just … a unicorn. That's the best comparison." Michigan reported via social media this spring that Walker posted a ridicu- lous 6.10-second time in the three-cone drill, one that would break the NFL Combine record (6.28) as the fastest time ever recorded. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY