The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532537
PLAYER BIOS ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ ❱ MARCH 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 him. He can play anywhere in the sec- ondary. You can line him up at corner — boundary and to the field. He can line up at safety. He can play zone. He can play press man. He can tackle. He can do anything. There is no doubt in my mind that he'll be able to help the program right away." Helping the program right away is the expectation. Johnson saw significant playing time as a true freshman and eventu- ally earned a starting job. It wouldn't be surprising to see Earls, who enrolled early and joined the team for bowl prac- tice, follow in the same path. And he's confident he can do just that. "I want to be All-Big Ten and a fresh- man All-American," Earls said. "I want to get the system down and be a leader for the other freshmen, especially the other defensive backs. I want to take full advantage of my education and get developed." ❑ Earls was a consensus Top 100 prospect and rated by On3 as the country's No. 89 overall recruit and No. 13 cornerback as well as the No. 2 player in Virginia. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND STATISTICS Year Tackles INT PD Rec. Yds. TD 2024 Injured, did not play 2023 25 3 4 29 715 8 2022 32 2 6 10 204 2 HONORS • First-team all-region as both a cornerback and wide receiver as a junior. RECRUITMENT • Pledged to Michigan Nov. 1, 2024, a er receiving an offer in January 2024. • Commi ed to Michigan over offers from Georgia, Texas A&M, South Carolina and others. • Recruited by Michigan secondary coach LaMar Morgan. DID YOU KNOW? • Virginia 6A state champion in the long jump (23 feet, 10.75 inches) and runner-up in the indoor 55-meter dash (6.36 seconds) in 2024. • Set school's single-season record for receiving yards (715) as a junior. • Will wear No. 2 at Michigan in honor of Will Johnson. • Born Nov. 9, 2006. THEY SAID IT On3 director of scou ng and rankings Charles Power: "Shamari Earls is one of the more gi ed corner prospects in the 2025 cycle. I think you have to start off with his physical traits when you're talking about him. He's close to 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds. That makes him the heaviest top corner in the country. He has good length. His arms are around 33 inches. He's a fantas c athlete in track and field. He ran in the 10.8 range in the 100 meters. He has good 200-meter mes and long jump distance, and he is an outstanding high jumper. And that's without doing track full- me in the outdoor season." SHAMARI EARLS CORNERBACK 6-2 • 203 THOMAS DALE HIGH CHESTER, VA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 97 13 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 89 13 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 77 9 1 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 68 11 2 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 24 3 INDUSTRY 2025 Projection Michigan needs to find its replacement for Will Johnson, and Earls is the obvious choice. Like John- son, Earls should see significant me as a true freshman and poten ally work his way into a star ng role. Earls is a tall, long corner at 6-foot-2, 203 pounds. He is capable of winning with his length and physicality, but he is also an elite athlete. Earls was a Virginia state champion in the long jump and also boasts an impressive 100-meter me. His rare combina on of size and speed makes him a prime candidate to have a breakout first season. Earls is an early enrollee and went through bowl prac ces in December, earning praise from the coaching staff. He checks a lot of boxes and is the future at the cornerback posi on.