Michigan football set to unleash loaded secondary for competition in fall camp

INDIANAPOLIS — From a potential weakness to a virtual strength, the Michigan football secondary was transformed nearly overnight.

Though there was just one hole to fill — the cornerback opposite Will Johnson — once spring ball began, the Wolverines got bad news when safety Rod Moore tore his ACL and Quinten Johnson announced his departure for the NFL. Moore could return before the end of the season, and Johnson withdrew from the draft, but suddenly, there were questions at both safety and cornerback.

Then Sherrone Moore dug deep into the transfer portal, securing cornerbacks Aamir Hall from Albany and Ricky Johnson from UNLV, and safeties Jaden Mangham from Michigan State and Wesley Walker from Tennessee . Now, with fall camp on the horizon, there is a lot of talent in the secondary, and Moore said at Big Ten media days he couldn’t be more excited to see what that group does starting next week.

“Feel great about the depth,” Moore said. “Obviously, in the secondary, you got Will Johnson, who’s the best corner in college football. And then opposite him, it could be a number of guys. The guy right now looks like Jyaire Hill, but Aamir Hall obviously came in, Ricky Johnson has come in, Myles Pollard is making a push to get better. So we’re excited about all those corners, we got a lot of depth there.

“And then you got safety– you got Makari Paige, obviously. Unfortunately with Rod, the injury there, but feel like we’ve got some guys that come in and really help. Having Quinten Johnson back is huge. Zeke Berry, he’s really, really taken the steps necessary, had a great, great spring, and excited to see him. But we got two transfers in the secondary with safeties with Jaden and Wes Walker. So we got a lot of competition. And as we said, the depth chart is ever-flowing and never stops. So we’ll continue to see who wins the job.”

What do the transfers bring to the table? Considering all of them were added after spring ball, the average Michigan football fan is relatively unfamiliar with each transfer’s game.

There’s a lot of starting experience with Hall, Mangham, and Walker being starters from Week 1, while Johnson started for much of the season. The group also has a ton of takeaways. Hall had five interceptions last year, and Mangham had four, and while the other two didn’t have interceptions last year, Johnson had seven passes broken up while Walker had two and a forced fumble.

But what does Sherrone Moore see in his new players? WolverinesWire asked him and more than anything, he says they all are great program fits.

“Aamir was an All-American at the FCS level and guys that really have just submerged in the culture,” Moore said. “And I think our coaches have done a really good job. And I was obviously a part of bringing the transfers in but bringing in guys that fit — no egos, that are all about the team, that want to see the team success. And that’s what we have, all those guys have been great.

“And you find out more about them when you get the pads on and it gets a little adversity and you get beat once — like you need that to see how they’re gonna react because in a game that’s going to happen. What’s the next play gonna look like? And then you want to see them hit — are they gonna be physical or are they gonna tackle? I think they are but we got training camp, so that’s what we’re gonna find out.”