The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 105 ons. They'd love to get there again, and soon. Whatever the Wolverines achieve as a unit this season, Berry figures to play a central role. He certainly contributed to Michigan's perfect campaign in '23, playing in 11 games on special teams and in three con- tests as a defensive back. He then made a full breakthrough last season, playing in all 13 U-M games and starting 12. He started seven at the nickel position, moving out to cornerback in five other starts. Berry played well enough to earn U-M's Defen- sive Skill Player of the Year accolades, even on a crew with numerous luminaries. He notched 37 tackles, 2.5 for loss, hur- rying the quarterback twice. Berry also broke up 11 passes, picking off a pair, with an interception in his very first start in a Michigan uniform. "Being able to get my first pick in the first game against Fresno State was a big highlight for me," Berry said. "Also, even though the season didn't go the way we wanted it to, being able to play football with the guys who we put in work with in the spring and summer. Building rela- tionships, and just playing football." He's looking to get in the way of plenty more passes this season, with an eye to- ward a better overall year, team-wise. As far as where he'll settle regarding a posi- tion, it's uncertain. "I don't really have a feel on how I'm go- ing to be rotating," Berry noted. "All I know is that wherever they need me to play, I'm going to play my best — and dominate." He added he doesn't really enter fall camp with a position preference, stress- ing: "I'm really willing to play anywhere, wherever they need me. Just being able to play different positions, being versatile, that's just going to have us be better as a whole team on defense." Michigan obviously saved its best for last at the end of the 2024 season. Giv- ing up a combined 23 points in wins over Ohio State and Alabama put some swag- ger back in the step of defenders who felt a little deflated at various points last year. The 13-10 win over the Buckeyes in Columbus still reverberates. "As a defense, we knew people counted us out as the season went on," Berry noted. "Our record showed what it was. Even though people counted us out, as a defense, we held each other to a higher standard. This is not how we play. We know how we can play, each and every game. We know how we work in preparation each week. "Toward the end of the season, we started to get our spark back. It was the feeling that, we could actually do it. It wasn't a matter of what the record is or anything. We just kept our heads straight, week-in and week-out. You know how it is for Ohio State. It's a big game, and ev- erybody's pumped up, ready to prepare for that whole week. We went out there and knew we could beat them, and just went out there and played Michigan football." They did the same in the ReliaQuest Bowl, stunning the Crimson Tide in a 16-0 first quarter that eventually held up in a 19-13 win. That game, played with- out NFL first-round defensive linemen Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Jo- saiah Stewart, became a touchstone for those who will be called on to step up in the season to come. It didn't hurt that while the Tide seemed to subside in a first-quarter deluge, Michigan players rode a wave of emotion. They welcomed the storm, lighting up 'Bama in the process. "Even though we lost some guys to the [NFL] Draft, we still had guys under them that are really talented, that are re- ally good," Berry said. "The older guys had taught the younger guys the prepara- tion and the standard that we have. Even though it went from Ohio State to Ala- bama, we went in wanting to win the game. Everybody knew that we had a chance. "We went in there and played, got hyped off the rain. I remember that. We just took the ball away from them, scored, and then looked to do it again. We embraced it. We embrace anything that comes our way." There's no question they're embrac- ing the opportunity coming their way this fall. Michigan's offense stands to be enhanced given some significant talent additions, its defense ready to reiterate its bowl message. "Just from the offseason, the new people we've added, I love the guys al- ready, just from being with them a couple months," Berry insisted. "The guys we got have a different work ethic than other people. We go out there and train on the field, talking to each other every day, laughing, just building relationships that develop trustworthiness in each other. "I feel like this defense is going to be something that people aren't ready for. People will think we're going to come out here just like we did last year, but no. We're coming to take it all this year." Berry acknowledged he'll be more than ready for a return to the homeland come Oct. 11, when the Wolverines play at USC in Los Angeles. He'll be ready after he takes care of some requests, that is. "I need a lot of tickets for that game," he said. "A lot of my family members will come, and a lot of friends will come to watch. I'm excited to go out and play there, because it will be a lot easier for my family." The Wolverines don't need to reestab- lish a standard this season, Berry assured. They just need to live up to one that's already in place. "I feel like we already have that stan- dard embedded into our brains," he said. "The older guys have to pass it down to the younger guys. Being an older guy on the defense, I tell them, 'Hey, this is what we are striving for every year. We've got to put the work in now to see the results later. You've got to be prepared for any obstacle that is thrown at us.' "I've been working on my mindset. I have a different mentality going into this year. I want to showcase that I am a person that can contribute to this team, help this team win games. Be able to lock down one side of the field, and have nobody worry- ing about if I'm going to do my job or not. I'm just going to go out there and do it. To go out there levelheaded and make sure I get my job done, no matter who we play. "The team right now? The ceiling is high. We have a lot of great players, spe- cial players on this team. We're going to showcase it this year, for sure." ❑ "I'm really willing to play anywhere, wherever they need me. Just being able to play different positions, being versatile, that's just going to have us be better as a whole team on defense." BERRY