The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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10 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2024 ❱ INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Transfer cornerback Aamir Hall (Albany) has been thrust into a bigger role than expected with injuries to Will Johnson and Jyaire Hill, and he's had his ups and downs. Overall, though, he's helped bring depth to the room. He talks about the transition from smaller college football to the big stage and more in this Q & A. The Wolverine: How much did you notice what Josh Wallace did last year at Michigan coming from a small school, and did that influence your decision to come to U-M? Aamir Hall: "It was really cool what he did last year coming up and being on the national championship team. He was a very big piece of what Michigan did last year. So, I paid attention a lot to what he did on the field. … I play my game and we have two different skill sets, but I did watch what he did." The Wolverine: What has been the biggest adjustment from the level of football you faced at Albany to here at Michigan? Hall: "It's just honestly the speed of the game, and then the physicality has been taking a step up. And it's been really good … it prepares me and has developed me a lot since I've been here." The Wolverine: Is that what you expected when you came here? Hall: "I knew that's the challenge that I was looking for. And honestly, com- ing here, I didn't really know what to expect, but I knew there was going to be a challenge. I feel like I've been handling it pretty well." The Wolverine: You've played both inside corner and outside — is there one you prefer, and how have you adjusted? Hall: "I've played boundary corner for most of my career, and here I've played both field and boundary. That's helped me develop my game totally on just a versatility level … just being in more of an NFL defense with Wink Martindale coming down to college football. I've learned a lot and feel like that will prepare me for the next level." The Wolverine: What do you guys need to improve in the secondary to have success down the stretch against the hardest part of the schedule? Hall: "Just the level of urgency. Coming in, we knew we had a really good defensive line. They will, honestly, carry us through the season, help us win games. "But the challenge is on us to challenge the receivers and just the dif- ferent skill groups that come in. I feel like we're taking on that challenge from early on in the season until now." ❱ Sitting Down With Senior Cornerback Aamir Hall Michigan has endured its own well-documented turnover issues this season, giving the ball away 15 times through nine games, more than the Wol- verines have had in any season since 2019 (20). The defense, though, has created some big plays via turnovers, including 2 pick sixes by junior cor- nerback Will Johnson. The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder helped seal the 30-10 win over Fresno State Aug. 31 and gave the team a second-half surge in a 27- 24 victory over USC Sept. 21. He's the U-M career record holder with 3 in- terceptions returned for touchdowns. All told, U-M has 10 takeaways, with 6 inter- ceptions and 4 fumble recoveries. Michigan only had 2 to- tal — including 1 on spe- cial teams — in three straight games from Oct. 19 to Nov. 2, though, despite averaging 1.1 takeaways per contest in the first seven. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who has ball disruption as a pillar of the defense, wants more havoc plays. "Always looking for more of that, and I think it comes in bunches," Martindale said. "We've been really close on some plays. [Graduate cornerback] Aamir [Hall] was close [to getting an interception against Oregon], as you saw there on the first touchdown. And the ball came out, but it still counted as a touchdown." Michigan's defense was elite in almost every mea- surable area in 2023, including taking the ball away, with 27 total turnovers to rank tied for fourth in the country. The Wolverines led the nation with a plus- 1.27 average turnover margin per game. Michi- gan's offense has turned around its fortunes, with no turnovers in two con- secutive outings (MSU, Oregon), and perhaps the defense will trend in the right direction down the stretch, too. — Clayton Sayfie Hall, a grad transfer from Albany, had 21 tackles and 2 pass break-ups in his first eight games played for the Wolverines. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Season Games Interceptions Fumble Recoveries Total Takeaways Pick Sixes 2024* 9 6 4 10 2 2023 15 18 9 27 4 2022 14 14 4 18 1 2021 14 8 8 16 1 2020 6 2 1 3 0 2019 13 9 11 20 0 2018 13 11 6 17 4 2017 13 10 7 17 2 2016 13 13 6 19 3 2015 13 10 2 12 1 *Heading into the Indiana game Nov. 9 MICHIGAN LOOKING TO CREATE MORE TAKEAWAYS