The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ D E F E N S I V E B A C K S ] 108 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW McBurrows likely heads that list. He played in four Michigan games as a freshman in 2021, making a pair of tack- les and a pass breakup. Then last year, he battled a lingering physical issue, with the MSU incident literally adding insult to injury. Now, he's the first name mentioned after Walker's, but others quickly follow. "I thought Ja'Den McBurrows had a good spring," Minter assured. "I thought [grad cornerback] Keshaun Harris re- ally stepped up and had a good spring. I thought [sophomore cornerback] Myles Pollard made some plays in the spring. I thought [early enrollee freshman cor- nerback] Jyaire Hill is going to be a guy. "I don't know if I'd put him on Will's track, but I think he's going to be ca- pable of helping us this year. He has the competitive mindset that it takes to be successful at the position. "I'm excited to see that battle con- tinue. I wouldn't say that there is anyone written in stone right now. It will be our jobs as coaches to put the best combina- tion on the field when we use five DBs on the field, and that can be any combina- tion of those guys." That group will absolutely include Sainristil, who moved from offense to defense last year. Sainristil played in all 14 games, starting 11, and racked up 58 tackles, 6.5 for loss and 2 for sacks. He picked off a pass and made 8 break- ups, the most notable when he flicked a would-be TD toss out of the hands of OSU tight end Cade Stover in The Horseshoe. "My expectations are for Mikey to be one of the top DBs in the whole country," Minter insisted. "He's talented enough, he's skilled enough, he's got the right mind- set and he's made plays. What a move. Coach Harbaugh gets all the credit in the world for that one. "I'm really excited about Mike. He probably would've been picked [had he opted for the NFL Draft]. He would've crushed the Combine, and he would've had a great pro day. "He has high goals for himself, and that's what makes him the type of player that he is." In addition to Hill, Michigan signed two other cornerbacks in Cameron Cal- houn out of Cincinnati and DJ Waller Jr. from Youngstown, Ohio. ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR It may not come early in the season or this fall at all, but if/when it all clicks for sophomore AMORION WALKER, the Wolverines will have something special. Head coach Jim Harbaugh called him a "unicorn" with his unique athleti- cism (especially with his change of direction) for his size (6-3, 180). He got roughed up in the spring game, but learn- ing defensive back is a process, and depend- ing on the timeline, he could change the com- plexion of U-M's sec- ondary single-handedly. Amorion Walker Knows What He Needs To Add To His Talent Nobody questions sophomore cornerback Amorion Walker's talent. As a freshman, the biggest inquiry involved whether he would be a future star at wideout or cornerback. He landed on the defense and got labeled a starter by head coach Jim Harbaugh in the first two days of spring ball. That assessment may have changed after the spring game, in which Walker struggled, giving up several receptions. But it doesn't necessarily change the long-term view. Walker still stands as immensely tal- ented — just with some work to do. "From an athleticism standpoint, I definitely am one of the best athletes in the country for sure," Walker said, "as far as running and jumping and being able to change direction. "Right now, I'm really relying on a lot on my athleticism. Cleaning up technique is what I really need to do. "When I get that down, I'll be a complete DB. Right now, it's just been getting by on my athleticism and making plays." The clean-up will be on in earnest throughout summer workouts, with Walker getting a crash course in defensive back subtleties. He knows that's the key to seeing the field this fall. "As the days go by, I'm loving the position more and more as I get better," Walker said. "I feel like a different player stepping on the field to do what I need to do." Meanwhile, what Harbaugh saw and liked hasn't changed. "The length he has, the athletic ability that he has, the speed that he has, and the change of direction for a guy that's 6-3, 6-4 — it's rare," Harbaugh said. "It's rare for a corner to be able to have that length and that speed and be able to change direction." — John Borton SCHOLARSHIP ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 22 Cameron Calhoun CB 6-0 171 Fr. 33 German Green CB 6-2 187 Gr. 20 Jyaire Hill CB 6-2 171 Fr. 2 Will Johnson CB 6-2 194 So. 12 Kody Jones CB 5-11 193 So. 1 Ja'Den McBurrows CB 5-11 206 Jr. 24 Myles Pollard CB 6-1 191 So. 0 Mike Sainristil CB 5-10 182 Gr. 1 Amorion Walker CB/WR 6-3 180 So. — Josh Wallace CB 6-0 190 Gr. 10 Zeke Berry S 5-11 197 So. — Brandyn Hillman S 6-1 191 Fr. 28 Quinten Johnson S 5-11 202 Gr. 35 Caden Kolesar S 5-10 195 Gr. 9 Rod Moore S 6-0 185 Jr. 7 Makari Paige S 6-4 200 Sr. 3 Keon Sabb S 6-1 208 So. — DJ Waller Jr. S 6-3 195 Fr. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL MICHIGAN INTERCEPTION TOTALS LAST 10 SEASONS Season Interceptions National Rank 2022 14 T-22nd 2021 8 T-93rd 2020* 2 T-112nd 2019 9 T-76th 2018 11 T-59th 2017 10 T-67th 2016 13 T-44th 2015 10 T-78th 2014 5 T-121st 2013 17 T-23rd *Michigan only played six games in 2020