The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541451
DECEMBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 23 did know that was a position where it was empty, because we had [senior] Zeke [Berry] going into play- ing corner," Metcalf ex- plained. "And just being in the room, I kind of see things just how the coaches see things fitting. They communicated back to me that they were going to need [a nickel]. They asked me if I would think about playing it, and I was just like, 'I know the guys we have in the room, but if you need somebody to play it, I don't mind being that guy. But I am a safety, just so you know.' But I don't mind playing nickel." The Wolverines haven't minded the way he's played it, either — with great swagger and physicality. Metcalf has posted 39 tackles, 2.5 TFL and an interception this season, one of the most productive players on the defense. Head coach Sherrone Moore mentioned that he loves the way his defensive backs have shed blocks and tackled on the perim- eter "like linebackers." Those are some of Metcalf's strengths. "Really it's just juice to the defense," Metcalf said of his physicality. "I see guys like [senior linebackers Ernest Haus- mann and Jimmy Rolder, and junior safety Brandyn Hillman] making plays like that all the time, and then we just rub off on each other. Once I do it, it's like, 'All right, who's going to do it next?' And then, boom, it happens. We have a defense that feeds off each other, feeds off the energy." "He's a great tackler in space, vo- cal leader," Moore added. Having a strong voice on the team isn't always something a transfer has in his first year with a program, but Metcalf has developed it. "As a leader on the team — not just on defense but on offense, too — being able to call people out and have that voice," Moore said. "Guys respect him because of his work ethic and how he plays." Metcalf is all about ball — a little un- derstated off the field, letting his play do the talking on it. "They've got great personalities, but they're quiet kids," Moore said of the brothers. "They don't say too much un- less you ask them questions or you get around them. They're great to be around. Very quiet, very humble." Playing ball, setting the tone, encour- aging others around him: Alabama, Ar- kansas or Michigan, this was what Met- calf set out to do. ❏ Metcalf carries this photo of himself as a young boy as a reminder of the journey he's been on since childhood and his love for the game. PHOTO COURTESY TJ METCALF