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 THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 109 ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR U-M has a major role to fill at nickel with Mike Sainristil's graduation, and the com- petition should go well into fall camp. But the favorite might be junior ZEKE BERRY, who was poised for a breakout role last season before a camp injury set back his progress. He could also factor into the safety rotation and bring many of the same abilities to the table as the injured Rod Moore in terms of athleticism and having a nose for the football. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL POSITION COACH Defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan is entering his first season in Ann Arbor and 13th season in the coaching ranks in 2024. U-M hired Morgan from Louisi- ana, where he spent the 2022-23 seasons as the defensive coor- dinator and secondary coach. The stint was his second with the program after coaching the team's cornerbacks in 2019-20. In all four of Morgan's seasons on staff, the Louisiana secondary reached double-digit inter- ceptions (10, 16, 15, 13), ranking third nationally in 2020 and top-25 in the 2022-23 seasons. He helped 11 players achieve 13 all-conference sea- sons and developed three undrafted free agents who made it to the NFL in Michael Jacquet (Phila- delphia Eagles and three other teams), Mekhi Garner (Philadelphia Eagles) and Eric Garror (Ten- nessee Titans). Morgan spent the 2021 season working with former U-M defensive coordinator Jesse Minter at Vanderbilt, which is where he got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant in 2012-13. The Commodores more than doubled their intercep- tion output from 2019-20 (6) to 2021 (13), ranking 33rd in the country. Other stops in Morgan's career include Western Carolina (2014-15), Louisiana Monroe (2016-17) and Houston (2018). RETURNING PLAYERS ZEKE BERRY • S Jr. • Pittsburg, Calif. Ht.: 5-11 • Wt.: 192 • Appeared in 11 games in 2023, mostly on special teams, mak- ing 3 total tackles. • Played in two games as a fresh- man in 2022, recording 1 tackle for loss and keeping his redshirt intact. • Named to the All-American Bowl and was named Defensive Player of the Year by the bowl. • Participated in the Polynesian Bowl following his senior campaign. • First-team selection on the MaxPreps California All-State team as a senior and a second-team honoree as a junior. • Made 35 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception and 2 forced fumbles as senior. • Listed as a four-star recruit, the No. 146 overall player and 11th-best safety nationally, and the No. 10 prospect in California by the On3 Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL PBU INT 2022 2/0 1 1 0 0 2023 11/0 3 0 0 0 JYAIRE HILL • CB So. • Kankakee, Ill. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 181 • Played in four games in 2023, making 8 tackles and 1.5 tack- les for loss. • Played on a Kankakee High team that went 8-3 his senior season and was part of Class 5A Illinois state runner-up squad as a junior. • Racked up 42 tackles his senior season with 5 tackles for loss to go with 2 sacks, 3 forced fum- bles and 3 interceptions. • An all-state performer in track and field as a long jumper. Also a sprinter, was part of two state championship-winning relays (4x100, 4x400). • Four-star prospect, No. 197 player in the country, No. 15 cornerback and No. 2 player in Illinois, per On3 Industry Ranking. BRANDYN HILLMAN • S So. • Portsmouth, Va. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 200 • Appeared in nine games at defensive back and on special teams, making 2 tackles. • Attended Churchland High. • 1,000-yard passer and rusher in both his junior and senior seasons, throwing for 1,312 yards and 11 touchdowns, with 1,236 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns, in 2022. • Four-star prospect, No. 206 overall player, No. 6 athlete and No. 5 player in Virginia, per On3 Industry Ranking. QUICK FACTS Position Coach: LaMar Morgan (1st year at U-M) Returning Starters: Rod Moore (27 career starts), Makari Paige (20), Will Johnson (16) Departing Starters: Mike Sainristil (36), Josh Wallace (11) Projected New Starters: Quinten Johnson (1), Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry Top Reserves: Brandyn Hillman, Ja'Den McBur- rows Newcomers: Jo'Ziah Edmond, Jeremiah Lowe, Jacob Oden Moved In: Aamir Hall (37; 22 at Richmond, 15 at UAlbany), Ricky Johnson III (10 at UNLV), Jaden Mangham (12 at Michigan State), Wesley Walker (25; 13 at Georgia Tech, 12 at Tennessee) Moved Out: Cameron Calhoun, Keon Sabb (5), DJ Waller Jr. Rookie Impact: Oden Most Improved Player: Berry Best Pro Prospect: Johnson Michigan's DB Draftees Since 2015 Year Player Round Pick Team 2016 Jabrill Peppers 1 25 Cleveland Browns Jourdan Lewis 3 92 Dallas Cowboys Lano Hill 3 95 Seattle Seahawks 2017 Jeremy Clark 6 197 New York Jets 2019 David Long 3 79 Los Angeles Rams 2020 Josh Metellus 6 205 Minnesota Vikings Jordan Glasgow 6 213 Indianapolis Colts 2021 Ambry Thomas 3 102 San Francisco 49ers 2022 Dax Hill 1 31 Cincinnati Bengals 2023 D.J. Turner II 2 60 Cincinnati Bengals 2024 Mike Sainristil 2 50 Washington Commanders