The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 25 er's natural ability helps, of course. At Pro Day, graduating receiver Ronnie Bell reiterated what he said during Fiesta Bowl practices in December. "I'm most excited for Amorion Walker," Bell said. "I've always felt like he was an alien walking around with us." Michigan reported via social media he'd posted a ridiculous 6.10-second time in the three-cone drill, one that would break the NFL Combine record as the fastest time ever recorded. Jordan Thomas (DB, Oklahoma) holds the official record of 6.28 seconds. Walker's vertical jump, the way he can flip his hips at his size … it's all a sight to behold. More than anything, Walker just needs reps. He got off to a decent start last year, but now he's making more progress while playing defense nonstop. "Every now and then I'd go to defense for a few periods during the season last year," Walker said. "It was never perma- nent at all — just trying to get me to learn some things. I would go in and play some man-[to-man]. I really know the man coverages that we have. "Toward the end of the year, I started learning a little bit more because I had the notion that if I'm going to make this transition, I'm going to take it seriously. "I started learning as much as I could to have a little bit of momentum rolling into spring. I transitioned pretty well. I feel like I'm learning things OK right now. When I fully grasp it, I'll be OK." For now, though, he'll continued to learn. He's taking it all in, learning from his mistakes and getting better each day. "On some plays, like as a receiver, you get your head around a lot," Walker con- tinued. "I might get my head around too fast or something like that. I'm just trying to get back into the defensive back mo- tion." He'll get there. He has some skills that just can't be taught, and he plays like it. "I definitely believe I'm one of the best athletes in the country, for sure," Walker said. With that kind of confidence, it prob- ably won't be long before he's making life tougher for opposing quarterbacks and receivers … and, quite possibly, on his way to being yet another of Harbaugh's posi- tion switching success stories and a two- way phenom. ❏ Jim Harbaugh's Best Position Switches At Michigan 1. Zach Gentry, quarterback to tight end. A four-star quarterback out of Texas, Gentry arrived at Michigan with the idea he could be one of the next U-M greats as a signal-caller. He had the size and the arm, and that was his passion. But Harbaugh persuaded Gentry to give tight end a shot, and while some in the player's family — es- pecially his grandfather, it was reported — weren't initially in favor of it, the change worked out beauti- fully for him. He's been in the NFL for several years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and recently re-signed with the squad. "I tried to transfer from Michigan three or four times," Gentry admitted to Behind the Steel Curtain, a Steelers fan site. "I went up to Coach Harbaugh, and I wanted out. I just wasn't feeling that was something I'd be able to do with the transition. I was a quarterback." He caught 32 passes for 514 yards as a senior, and the Steelers drafted him. The rest is history … and he's thrilled. "Thank God we didn't have the portal rules we do now, or I would have been gone in a heartbeat," he said. 2. Chase Winovich, tight end to linebacker to edge. Call this one "1A," and Winovich certainly has a case for No. 1 overall. He became a full-time starter in his fourth year (2017) and earned All-Big Ten honors, notching 18 tackles for loss and 8 sacks among his 79 tackles. The four-year letterman (2015-18) was an Associated Press All-American (third team) and an American Football Coaches Association All-American (second team) as a senior in 2018. Winovich was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round (77th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, played with the Cleveland Browns last year, and recently signed with the Houston Texans for the 2023 season. 3. Mike Sainristil, wide receiver to defensive back. This was one Harbaugh proposed at the end of the 2021 Big Ten championship season, and it worked out better than anybody could have hoped. Sainristil had an outstanding spring that year and parlayed it into an honorable mention All-Big Ten show- ing in 2022. He has won U-M's Offensive (2021, co-) and Defensive (2022) Skill Player of the Year Awards in the last two years. "Coach Harbaugh's been saying, 'The more tools you have in your toolbox, the more valuable you be- come,'" Sainristil said when he made the switch, adding he'd have played center if they asked him to. "So, I definitely like that. That's one thing I can tell myself every day about playing both ways." 4. Jabrill Peppers, safety to linebacker. Peppers played several different positions at Michigan, both on offense and defense. Former coordinator Don Brown wanted him as the Viper linebacker in his defense, however — he was skilled enough in pass coverage and physical enough at the line to dominate, and that's what he did. He was a consensus a All-American in 2016 and won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player, also finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Peppers played 933 snaps during the 2016 campaign, logging 726 plays on defense, 53 plays on offense, and 154 snaps on special teams. Michigan reported he saw the field at 15 different positions during the season. Peppers went to the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, spent two seasons there and three with the New York Giants. He signed for two years with the New England Patriots in 2022 and recorded 60 tackles last season. 5. Khalid Hill, tight end to fullback. This was one of Harbaugh's most underrated moves. Hill appeared in 44 games at tight end and fullback with 11 starts. While he notched 29 career receptions totaling 288 yards and 3 touchdowns, he made his mark as a short-yardage back in 2016 and 2017. He carried 42 times for 73 yards and scored 13 rushing touchdowns in his career, often getting the call to punch the ball in at the goal line. He also became a very good blocker. — Chris Balas Senior captain Mike Sainristil is the most recent high-profile example of a positive, career-altering position switch engineered by Harbaugh. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL