Coach Moore shares who has the early track to start alongside Will Johnson on the Michigan defense, talks transfers

Michigan fans know what it has in Will Johnson, but the Wolverines' head coach talks the rest of the room.

Michigan defensive back Will Johnson celebrates after intercepting a pass from Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan has the tall task of replacing star nickel back Mike Sainristil who excelled in the role during the past two seasons. The converted wide receiver did wonders on the Wolverines' defense and was arguably the best player on the field during a ton of games. But not only does Michigan have to replace Sainristil, it also has to find a new corner opposite of Will Johnson. Josh Wallace held that down last year after transferring in from UMass.

During Big Ten Media Days on Thursday, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was asked about replacing those guys and what the depth looks like moving forward.

"Feel great about the depth," Moore said on the secondary during Big Ten Media Days. "Obviously, you've got Will Johnson who is the best corner in college football. Opposite of him it could be a number of guys. The guy right now looks like Jyaire Hill but Aamir Hall, Ricky Johnson has come in, Myles Pollard is making a push to get better. We're excited about all those corners, we've got a lot of depth there."

Michigan also has to figure out its safeties. Star safety Rod Moore is out for the foreseeable future after sustaining an injury during Spring practice. But the Wolverines did pick up a couple of transfers and got Quinten Johnson back. Moore noted a couple of guys have taken steps forward, but competition will never stop and Fall camp will decide a lot of things.

"Safety you've got Makari Paige obviously, unfortunate with Rod [Moore] and the injury there but feel like we've got some guys who have come in and can really help," Moore said. "Having Quinten Johnson back is huge, Zeke Berry has really, really taken the steps necessary. Had a great, great spring. and excited to see him. We've got two transfers in the secondary with the safeties with Jaden [Mangham] and Wes Walker. We've got a lot of competition. As we say, the depth chart is ever-flowing. We never stop. We'll continue to see who wins the job."

Michigan defensive back Makari Paige (7) looks to tackle Purdue running back Devin Mockobee (45) during the second half of the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

When Moore went down this Spring, the loss of Keon Sabb -- who transferred to Alabama -- stung even more. But as we all know, Michigan went out and landed four veterans from the portal including FCS All-American, Aamir Hall. Sherrone Moore is excited to see the four transfers hit the field this Spring to see how they will fit in the Michigan defense.

"Obviously, experience, a guy [Aamir Hall] who was an All-American at the FCS level. Guys that really have just submerged into the culture. I think our coaches have done a really good job of bringing in guys who fit. No egos, they're all about the team and they want to see the team have success. That's what we have. All those guys have been great. You find out more about them when you get the pads on you get some adversity and you get beat once, you need it to see how they're going to react because in the game, it's going to happen. What's the next play going to look like? You want to see them hit, are they gonna be physical? Are they gonna tackle? I think they are but we've got training camp and that's what we're going to find out."

Michigan fans can watch the new-look secondary on August 31 when the Wolverines host Fresno State.

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