So Far, So Good For U-M's Mike Sainristil

It's early and he's certainly going to be tested in ways like never before, but Mike Sainrsitil's seamless transition to defense has been impressive so far.

If you throw on the highlight tape from Mike Sainristil's first three seasons in Ann Arbor, it doesn't take long to see that he's more than capable of making big plays at the wide receiver position. 

Even so, Michigan currently has one of the most talented wide receiver groups in the country - a room that includes guys like Ronnie Bell, Cornelius Johnson, Roman Wilson, AJ Henning and Andrel Anthony. So when news broke that Sainristil would be making the switch from offense to defense, my initial thought was that it was simply the result of being shuffled out of a very deep WR rotation. As it turns out, that wasn't the case at all. 

According to Sainristil, defense was always something he wanted to explore at the University of Michigan. 

“Since I've been here, I was always joking around with the defensive coaches, saying, ‘Whenever you guys need me to play defense, let me know. I'll come and play,’” Sainristil said. “Last year, I was joking around with Coach Clink and Coach Mike MacDonald saying, ‘put me on defense.’ Even the Ohio State week, I was saying, ‘put me on defense.’

As it became clear that Michigan's needs on the defensive side of the ball were bigger than the needs at the wideout position, head coach Jim Harbaugh met with Sainristil during the spring and discussed the potential of making a switch. Sainristil didn't flinch. 

“Coach, I’ll do whatever for this team,” he recalled telling Harbaugh. 

Not long after that discussion, Sainristil began splitting reps between offense and defense during spring practice. As a former two-way player in high school, Sainrsitl adapted quickly and started turning heads in practice - so much so that he eventually worked himself into the starting rotation and earned the title of 'Team Captain'. 

Two weeks into the 2022 season, the former wideout looks confident and comfortable out on the field with the first-team defense - albeit against a level of competition that isn't anywhere close to what he'll face later this fall. The good news for Michigan fans is that, although Sainrisitil is confident in his abilities, he understands there's a learning curve that lies ahead - and he's embracing it. 

“I understand the defense,” Sainristil said. “I know base personnel, nickel personnel, dime personnel. I’m comfortable in practice right now, of course, but I still don’t have games played under my belt so until then, I won’t know how comfortable I really am. Even then, games are going to go along and I’m going to be put in situations I’ve never been in simply because I’m on a new side of the ball.

“Will I be 100 percent comfortable this year? Who’s to say? But I am going to play to the best of my ability from all sides.”