Mike Sainristil On National Championship: 'This Is What I Came Back For'

The veteran defensive back will play his final game as a Wolverine on Monday night in the national championship game against Washington, and he's looking to end his career on the highest note possible.

Mike Sainristil's transition from offense to defense has been nothing short of incredible. Although he made his fair share of big time plays as a wide receiver during the first part of his Michigan career, his work on the defensive side of the ball has played a major role Michigan's success over the last two seasons. 

Meeting with the media on Saturday, Sainristil discussed his Michigan career and the upcoming matchup with Washington.

Q. What's it like? You've dreamed of this moment for a long time, walking up to a National Championship podium.

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I have, you're right. Feels good to finally be here. It's kind of surreal flowing this is my last time I'll ever be able to be a part of -- be at a college university with these guys. This is what I came back for, like I mentioned before.

Q. You guys won a College Football Playoff game and won in the Rose Bowl. How quickly did you guys have to come down from that to get ready for a week later, you're going to be playing for a national title?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Pretty quick. The turnaround was very fast. We got back to Michigan Tuesday morning and we were in the building Wednesday watching film. So like I said, pretty fast.

Q. You guys had a big challenge in Alabama, how different is the challenge going up against Washington and Michael Penix? They seem like two different types of quarterback?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Yeah, Michael Penix is a quarterback who will dice you up and pick you apart with the ball in the air. He will find the open receiver and he trusts his receivers. He'll throw the 50/50 ball up there to those guys. He does a good job getting the ball out with pressure in his face. It's a challenge for our D-Line to prove they have a really good pass rush and great opportunity for the DBs to show that we can cover those guys.

Q. You come into the game with some momentum after Alabama. How much confidence does that give you coming into a big game like this one?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I wouldn't say our confidence comes from that game alone. Feels good we are able to put on that type of performance offensively, defensively and special teams as well, a few things to clean up as always but I think we have been a confident team all year. We have believed in ourselves and trusted in each other and trusted in the program. That's what we've continued to do and that's what's going to allow us to continue playing confident as we have been.

Q. Has it hit you yet that this is the last run?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Not really. I don't think about it like that. I'll reflect on it when it's all said and done.

Q. As a Michigan man, switching positions in your college career, the team comes first. What would it mean to bring this program a National Championship for the first time in decades?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: It would mean everything. I wanted to be a part of the class that was able to do so. Like I mentioned, a few of us came back for this reason, to say that we were part of the team that won a National Championship and would be one of the leaders on this team to do -- to get that accomplished, it would just feel good to be able to get that done. That's the goal. That's what the goal has been all off-season. We're here. We're here. That's what we want to do.

Q. You guys were a two-win team that year. Was this ever imaginable that you guys would be at this place or was it hard to exceed that back then?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I definitely believe that we had the talent we had, the right guys. We just didn't have the right mindset around that time. But you know, with everything, we had -- like I said, we had the right people. We had the right coaches. It was just things that needed to be changed mentally and with Coach Harbaugh, the training that he's been able to do or put us through workouts, the mental training, the mental aspect of all that stuff is what's allowed us to get over that hump.

Q. What specifically do you mean that you guys weren't in the right mindset? What was different between them and now?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Just I think we got a lot closer throughout the years after that 2020 season. We became more of a team. I think going through that adversity allowed us to grow in different areas.

Q. To be on the brink of a National Championship, what does this moment feel like for you?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I didn't hear the whole question.

Q. Going from 2020 and everything you went through then to be at this moment on the doorstep of a National Championship what does this moment feel like?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: It feels good. It's what you work for. I'm pretty sure every college football team in the off-season tells themselves that, you know, I believe we are good enough to win a National Championship. The difference is the work that you put in every single day; it's the consistency that you have throughout the off-season, throughout the season. It's the sacrifices you make, and that's what we have done. We have sacrificed. We have put the hours in, the time in, film study, work in the weight room and we have just dedicated this season to winning a National Championship. We have trusted in each other. We believed in each other. We believed in our coaches and I believe that when you have a team that has those two things where you love each other as a team, you love your coaches, then you could end up in a position like this.

Q. One of your former teammates is going to play for Washington in this game, Jackson. I know you played in 2021 but did you ever think you would play him for a national title?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: No, I didn't think we would ever play each other in the National Championship.

Q. Coming in at a similar time, were you close when you on the team together? Curious about your relationship.

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Yeah, that's my guy. I was speaking to him yesterday. That's one of my close friends. We're real cool. Brother of mine. I wish him the best always. When he left, I wished him the best and when he was here, I was happy for the things that he was doing while he was here.

Q. From the outside to look at their receivers and your secondary, seems like a giant battle. Does it feel that way to you, as well?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I think any team that has a good receiving core is a good opportunity for any team that has good DBs. You know, we play Alabama, they had good receivers. Anybody, like I said, if you have a good receiving core; a team that has a good quarterback, that's a good challenge for any team that has good DBs. So I can't wait to go against those guys.

Q. Moving from the offensive side of the ball and playing wide receiver to now in the secondary, how has that helped your preparation, especially for a game like this, understanding different things, little nuances of the game that others may not understand from the wide receiver position?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I would just say it helps with being able to anticipate, knowing down and distances, knowing tendencies. Coming from the receiver side, understanding what receivers may like when a corner is pressed or a corner is off.

I think me being able to bring that to the defensive side of the ball allows me to see things, and not guess, but like I said, anticipate. And of course, knowing my game plan, knowing where I'm supposed to be what spots I'm supposed to be in, my zone drives, understanding my leverage in man, definitely helps me eliminate certain things.

Q. When you come to college, obviously the goal is to play in the National Championship, win a National Championship. Now that it's here, what is this moment like to experience all these things here in Houston?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: It's a wonderful experience. I'm definitely going to soak everything in, live in the moment. But you know, the goal, the main goal is to win a National Championship. So definitely not going to allow myself, No. 1, and then as the leader of this team, not going to rely on anybody else to get distracted by anything that's going on around us, because you know, it's been a one-track mind all season.

It started with beating Michigan State, beating Penn State, beating Ohio State, winning the Big Ten, winning a playoff game, now our last goal is to win a National Championship, and that's what we're here to do.

Q. So much experience on both teams, you being a fifth-year. How do you think that dynamic has led to both teams getting to this point?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I would just say, when you have an experienced team, you're allowed to -- you have more leadership and we have leaders that are six-year leaders that are fifth-year leaders, that are fourth-years. I think we are going to have a team that's full of leaders, it allows younger guys we bring in and understand that, all right, these guys, this is how they go about their business.

So I need to understand that I can't distract them from what they are doing. I have to live up to what they do, and so that expectation is set from day one, and the second they see that, it's like, okay, they start becoming leaders in their own ways, as well.

So now you have a team full of leaders, a team full of mature men, and I think that's what this team is.

Q. This whole season has been going to the National Championship, one-track mind, to now be here. Are you able to enjoy that or are you continuing to do exactly the preparation you have done or is it like this is the last week, is there any more you can do? When the whole season has been about this moment and now you're in the moment, how do you characterize that?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I would just say it comes down to making sure you don't leave anything up to -- don't have any regrets when this is over. You definitely want to pour everything you have, empty your tank. That's one of the things I've been saying to the guys is there's nothing else after this; what wouldn't you do. That was a message Will Johnson said, Coach Minter said. What would you do up to this point. We're here now. Like find any and everything you can to help us accomplish our goal, and just leave it all out there come Monday.

Q. Is there one thing that you didn't do?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: That I've done? I mean, I think I've pretty much been doing the same things I've been doing but just doing a little bit more. That's on field time, in the film room time, more recovery, just making sure that come Monday, I'll be able to be the best version of myself.

Q. With your career at Michigan, you obviously played against a lot of fantastic wide receivers in the Big Ten but what jumps out about the tight end you'll be facing, and how much are you looking on game film from Arizona and earlier games in the season where they were contained more in the passing attack?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I would say their ability to track the ball down the field. They make a lot of contested catches. They run routes very well. You know, they are fast guys.

Like you said, we have seen great talent from receiving cores before. I think we are able to be prepared for this game through playing Maryland, a team that attacked us in the air, left-handed quarterback, who you haven't seen any other left-handed quarterbacks and now we have Penix. They had good receivers. Ohio State had good receivers.

You know, tight end-wise, they have a really good tight end. 84 from Alabama was a good tight end. I felt a few other teams we played had good tight ends. But you know, for us, it's just going to come down to, you know, staying technically sound, staying fundamentally sound. Being where we need to when the ball is in the air. Being in the right zones and not giving up any easy plays. Making sure that we contest every catch or every pass I mean, not giving up easy throws. Don't allow Penix to take easy access and just make the easy ones.

So it's going to be a good game.

Q. With a lot of those contested throws -- you see a lot of those on film probably. Why is it so hard as a DB to stop that from happening?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I would just say, just don't panic. You know, don't give up on the play. You might think that the ball is not coming because of, you know, you're not near the -- you're away from the passing strength, but nine times out of ten, you don't know.

So just stare at your man, don't panic, and when the ball is coming to them -- you know, they draw a lot of PIs, and that's because when the ball is in the air, a DBs panic, and that could be through double moves, that could be because they don't where the ball is exactly. As long as you are in phase, or even if you are out of phase, don't panic. Get back in phase and play their hands.

Q. How much better have you gotten as a football player, and how much has player development been part of Michigan's success?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I'm doing everything I can every day to get better.

Just everybody growing. You guys probably have seen like we don't have a bunch of five-stars. I think we have -- we definitely have more four-stars than five-stars. But our three-stars, we have a lot more three-stars and two-stars than we do five-stars and whatever.

I feel like when you're able to develop, development isn't just what you do on the field. It's how well you know the game. Your knowledge of football, and I think when you have a bunch of guys who know football very well, it creates a very good football team and not because they are just super talented. It's because they know what they are doing out there. They could be on-field coaches and I feel like that's what we have a lot of here.

Q. Mason mentioned the other day that this team as you look at them is similar to Ohio State in '21 with the receivers, the quarterback, the offense. When you're seeing those guys on film, is it the same type of what you guys are going to have to do defensively to slow them down a little bit?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I think we just do the same things that we've been doing. You know, having the D-Line that creates a really good pass rush. You know, linebackers who can also join that pass rush and also drop in coverage and then DBs, just playing sticky coverage. Not giving up any easy throws.

Q. How does a left-handed quarterback change the game for a defensive back, or does it, in terms of how he drops back or how you see the football coming off his hand?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I'm not really too sure. My job isn't to watch the quarterback, stare him down. So I shouldn't really have too much vision on what his drop looks like other than if I'm reading a quick game or a drop-back pass, of course, or RPO. But I'm not sure. I'm not sure if it does change that much.

Q. Expecting a child, how does that shape your outlook on football and life and what are you most looking forward to about being a father?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I know it gives me extra reason to want to be great. Gives me extra motivation knowing I have a little person, a little person on the way. Definitely super excited to be a father. I can't wait. I've seen so many great fathers around me, so many great examples of fathers. I just know how special it is to have a child of your own. So I'm definitely excited to do everything I can to give my little girl the best life possible.

Q. I remember last year when we talked in Arizona, there was definitely a business trip mentality to this team. Is it the same mentality this year and what's the difference between the last two years for you guys to have gotten to this game and now to be here and have your goal this close?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Yeah, definitely still very business trip-minded. Not allowing ourselves to get distracted by anything. The difference, I'm not sure what the difference is, but I would say this team, you know, team 144, we are just very focused, very locked in. We have been locked in since January after losing to TCU; a team that's hungry and we have just been doing everything to make sure everything gets done.

Q. Is how rare is it that you guys have all stuck together through NIL and the transfer portal and all that's gone on in college football?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: The unique thing about it, and I'm not sure if it's technically I'd consider unique. It's just the recipe to everything we do is that we love each other. This is an unselfish team. Everyone is happy for each other's success. The guys, you see guys like Blake who can easily be very big-headed and, hey, I'm on top of the world, but no, he treats everyone on this team with respect, with love. No one puts themselves before anybody.

It's always the next man before. We are very selfless on this team and that's because we have a very selfless head coach. That's how Coach Harbaugh is with us. He treats us as his own sons and I think it's easy to have love for each other when you know your coach loves.

Q. The general media consensus is that this Washington resembles 2021 Ohio State. Michigan's defense is built to top that. Has that been discussed, and Z has that film been looked at in this week leading up to this game?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Yeah, we have talked about the fact that they are very similar to that '21 Ohio State team, in the sense they have a very good quarterback, very good receiving core. The run game is not as, I wouldn't say it's as similar as to what that Ohio State run game was.

But you know, they definitely have a good running back as well. You know, like I said, it's going to come down to us doing the things that we do and just executing at a very high level.

Q. Given what happened with the Big Ten this year and the conference coming in, stepping in, suspending your coach, all that, how does it feel now to have the conference puff their chest out and claim your success?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: All season long, we have never worried about the outside noise. I know there was some things out there saying, oh, Michigan might leave the Big Ten because of what happened or whatever. But we don't care about that stuff.

At the end of the day, it's everybody inside of Schembechler Hall that we care about. That's the voices that matter to us. I think having that mindset is what's allowed us to be here today.

Q. I know that offense is all about deceptions and trying to fool you, but with what Washington does with all their motions, switching guys to the side and all their formations, have you faced a team that does as many pre-snaps as Washington and is that difficult to process? I counted one time this year, there were as many as nine pre-snap motions. How hard is that to process?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: We definitely played a few teams who do pre-snap shifts, pre-snap motions. I don't think we've played teams who will shift motion, motion back and then motion again. I think it's a challenge to be able to stay disciplined, have your eyes in the right place, and being able to see the final formation, and then anticipate what you will get out of that formation.

I guess, you know, what you can say about that is it's not about how it starts. It's about how it finishes in terms of how the formation begins and ends.

Q. How hard is it to process?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: I think you just have to know what your call is, No. 1 and communicate and you go from there. As long as your communication is on point, then you know the processing becomes easier. But if you look at the formation, and then you put yourself in a state of mind where you're guessing, not anticipating, it's a lot different.

Q. When you look at Michael Penix, what's the biggest challenge in trying to cover him?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Michael Penix? You said trying to cover him?

Q. Cover his receivers. What's the biggest challenge when you see him? What do you have to do to stop him?

MIKE SAINRISTIL: Just contest his throws. Don't allow his receivers to have any easy catches. They are really good with playing -- having late hands with the ball. You know, they will run and catch it at the very last second. They will speed release you when you're pressed. They run really good routes. But just not allow him to make any easy throws.

I know our D-Line will get up there and put pressure on him. But he's still really good when pressure is in his face. He's able to take his eyes from one side of the field to the other side of the field and make a throw in the blink of an eye.

I just think not giving him no free access and not allowing him to make any easy throws.