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 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW bit during fall camp, which wasn't good for him, and he ended up redshirting. There's probably some added pressure on him, but he can help us for sure." Young is a four-star rookie out of Mon- roe, N.C., who played both wide receiver and defensive back in high school. He'll provide depth in the secondary, along with grad student Caleb Anderson, who transferred in this spring from Louisiana, where he spent five seasons. Morgan ac- tually recruited the 6-3, 200-pounder to the University of Louisiana. "You come here for the grad program, and you get a chance to compete against the best week in and week out," Morgan noted. "That's what I see Caleb as. He's a guy that's 6-3, 200 pounds, can run and is athletic." Berry and Hill look to get the open- ing nods at cornerback, while talented sophomore Jo'Ziah Edmond and gifted freshman Shamari Earls will battle for time and space in the two-deep. Lowe also factors in at corner. Berry, who enjoyed some big moments last season, was named Michigan's Defen- sive Skill Player of the Year after securing 37 tackles (2.5 for loss), 2 quarterback hur- ries, and a team-leading 11 pass breakups, including a pair of interceptions. He also forced one fumble and recovered another. Berry played nickel in the opening month last year, and still can. He'll likely be counted on to nail down one of the cornerback spots, though, like he did af- ter Will Johnson went down to injury last season. "The move to corner was out of ne- cessity, and I thought he did very well there," Michigan defensive coordina- tor Wink Martindale said of Berry. "The thing that's unique about Zeke is we can put him basically wherever we need him. He'll have reps inside at nickel and out- side at corner. … He's done a nice job of getting his body right." Hill remains in process, Morgan indi- cated, but the advancement is coming along. "He's just growing up, trying to be a leader, trying to be focused," Morgan said. "He's playing some nickel as well. It's his time to take it to the next step. Last year he played pretty solid besides some of the double moves. I think he's moving in the right direction. I've been really pleased with him. "Jyaire is working hard at his craft and challenging himself. I still think he has an extra gear that he doesn't know yet because he's just a young player." Edmond got into eight games last year, making a pair of tackles. Earls, mean- while, is feeling his way after coming in from Virginia regarded by many as one of the top 10 prep cornerbacks in the nation. "Shamari did a good job of getting here in January and trying to put it all together," Morgan said. "He didn't play his senior season after getting hurt in the preseason. DEFENSIVE BACKS Cornerback 2 Shamari Earls (6-2, 203), Fr. 10 Zeke Berry (5-11, 196), Sr. 13 Caleb Anderson (6-3, 200), Gr. 16 Jo'Ziah Edmond (6-1, 180), So. 20 Jyaire Hill (6-2, 185), Jr. 24 Tevis Metcalf (5-10, 192), So. 32 Jeremiah Lowe (5-11, 177), So. — Jayden Sanders (6-1, 181), Fr. Safety 3 Jaden Mangham (6-2, 185), Sr. 5 Jacob Oden (6-1, 196), So. 6 Brandyn Hillman (6-0, 200), Jr. 7 TJ Metcalf (6-1, 200), Jr. 9 Rod Moore (6-0, 198), Gr. 14 Jordan Young (6-0, 177), Fr. 25 Mason Curtis (6-5, 200), So. — Elijah Dotson (6-2, 171), Fr. — Kainoa Winston (5-11, 194), Fr. Year-By-Year Passing Defense Stats Yards/ TDs Season Yards Game Allowed 2015 2,060 158.5 8 2016 1,853 142.5 11 2017 1,951 150.1 11 2018 1,921 147.8 14 2019 2,412 185.5 16 2020* 1,533 255.5 12 2021 2,862 204.4 17 2022 2,719 194.2 11 2023 2,355 157.0 8 2024 2,812 216.3 19 *Only played six games in 2020 Jon Jansen Says More Of Rod Moore 'Would Be Huge' For Michigan Rod Moore hasn't been seen in earnest in maize and blue since the heady days of the na- tional championship season climax in 2023. From his game-sealing interception against Ohio State, to his strong play in College Football Playoff games against Alabama and Washington, Moore stood out as a leader on a defense that shut down the very best and scrambled to the top of the heap. A 2024 spring ball knee injury wiped out that season, and certainly hurt Michigan's overall defensive effort. Now, he's looking to come back and demonstrate he can be the All-Big Ten performer he was when the Wolverines reached the summit. Michigan football radio analyst Jon Jansen — who knows something about leadership and national championships himself — insisted that Moore's return at his best would be a major gain come fall. "It would be huge," Jansen said. "That secondary is going to be young. You have Brandyn Hillman, Mason Curtis, the transfer in Jaden Mangham, new guys in the Metcalf brothers, Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry — all of those guys would benefit from him simply being on the field. "If he can come back and play the way that he did in '23, now all of a sudden you've got a force in the secondary where you've graduated a lot of guys." — John Borton QUICK FACTS Position Coach: LaMar Morgan (2nd year at U-M) Returning Starters: Rod Moore (28 career starts), Zeke Berry (12), Jyaire Hill (9) Departing Starters: Makari Paige (32), Will Johnson (22), Quinten Johnson (14) Projected New Starters: TJ Metcalf (11 at Arkansas), Mason Curtis, Brandyn Hillman Top Reserves: Shamari Earls, Jo'Ziah Ed- mond, Jaden Mangham, Tevis Metcalf Newcomers: Earls, Elijah Dotson, Jayden Sanders, Kainoa Winston, Jordan Young Moved In: Tevis Metcalf, TJ Metcalf Moved Out: Kody Jones, Ja'Den McBur- rows, Myles Pollard Rookie Impact: Earls Most Improved Player: Hill Best Pro Prospect: Moore