Tag: Keon Sabb

Keon Sabb, Ex-Wolverine

Rising redshirt sophomore safety Keon Sabb entered the transfer portal last week and, as of this weekend, has found a destination at Alabama.

Sabb was a member of the class of 2022, and I gave him a TTB Rating of 84 at the time of his commitment (LINK). He was a 4-star, the #9 safety, and #84 overall in his class. He was listed at 6’1″ and 208 lbs. this past season and played a key role on Michigan’s defense, starting five games and making 28 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 interceptions (returned 56 yards, including for 1 touchdown), and breaking up 7 passes. That came after a freshman season where he played in just four total games.

Sabb was going to be a key part of Michigan’s secondary once again in 2024, but both Rod Moore and Makari Paige are returning to Michigan. Moore and Paige were somewhat expected to announce for the NFL after this past season, and Sabb surely would have slipped in there at one of the safety positions. But with both returning, there’s a good chance that Sabb would have been squeezed for playing time once again. He would have played, but how much?

Now Michigan has to hope that another young defensive back can step up. For whatever reason, the defensive backfield has been hurt by transfers this off-season, including cornerbacks Amorion Walker (Ole Miss) and Cam Calhoun (Utah). The next guys in line to play more would likely be third-year guy Zeke Berry or second-year player Brandyn Hillman.

As for Sabb’s future, he will likely play a starting role, especially since Alabama lost Caleb Downs to Ohio State in free agency. It’s just a little odd that Sabb will be playing for a team (Alabama) Michigan beat in the Rose Bowl and for a coach (former Washington head man Kalen DeBoer) whom Michigan beat in the national championship game.

Michigan has previously offered Sabb’s two younger brothers in 2026 safety Amari Sabb and 2027 athlete Xavier Sabb.

Keon Sabb is the sixth member of the 2022 class to transfer, joining Walker, WR Darrius Clemons (Oregon State), S Damani Dent (Charlotte), LB Deuce Spurlock (Florida), and RB C.J. Stokes (Charlotte).

Michigan 52, Minnesota 10

Zone coverage FTW. There was a time when we lamented that Michigan defensive backs were terrible at looking back and finding the ball. There were interceptions to be had, but Michigan didn’t, you know, have them. Don Brown had the defensive backs in chase mode all the time, and even though he was really good at his defensive coordinator job – Ohio State be damned – he hated zone defense. In this game a dose of zone coverage was enough to confuse inexperienced Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, and he threw more touchdown passes to Michigan’s guys (Will Johnson, Keon Sabb) than his own. In fact, he completed just 5/15 passes for 52 yards, 35 of which came on the final offensive play of the first half, a virtual Hail Mary that happened to come down in the hands of a diving Daniel Jackson for the Gophers’ only touchdown of the night. That passing total was the fewest amount allowed by Michigan since they allowed 24 against UConn in 2022.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan 30, East Carolina 3

Football is back! All is right in the world when it’s football season. In another few days, the NFL season will be back and we can all enjoy Heaven for a few months. It has been a long off-season for me on an individual level, and this is also a chance to break away from the 2023 Season Countdown and get back into a groove with writing about various topics.

This was a boring matchup. I like seeing different opponents, but with East Carolina, there were no storylines. It’s not a geographical matchup. When I looked through the roster and coaching staff, there was no crossover. East Carolina doesn’t recruit in the state of Michigan. No transfers or ex-staffers from Michigan. There was no angle. The most interesting aspect going into the opener, aside from seeing who starts for Michigan, was . . .

. . . Peacock. The Peacock stream sucked. I signed up for Peacock on Friday because there’s really no other reason to do so earlier. And I don’t really care about the expense. I’ll pay $5.99 to watch a Michigan game. But when I’m paying for it, I expect a good product. When I paid for cable, I expected ESPN and FS1 and BTN to give me a good product. Otherwise, I’ll just turn off the volume and think through it myself. I don’t need Mike Tirico and one of the Simms brothers to tell me what’s happening on the game. Peacock actually complied – presumably on accident – when there was just no audio for several minutes. The fourth quarter feed got blurry, too, but maybe that had something to do with my local internet. But Peacock also cut out a play, there was no pregame show, the halftime show was boring, and oh yeah . . . the Simms kid isn’t exactly top-notch. If I wanted crappy analysis, I would watch some of the ex-Buckeye talking heads like Josh Perry and Joey Galloway.

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2023 Season Countdown: #42 Keon Sabb

Name: Keon Sabb
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 208 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #3
Last year: I ranked Sabb #71 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He played in four games.
TTB Rating: 84

Sabb maintained his redshirt last season after playing in just four games as a freshman. For better or worse, the one play that sticks out in my mind was when Hawaii running back Tylan Hines broke off a 54-yard touchdown late in the blowout and Sabb couldn’t catch him. Hines is pretty speedy and quick at 5’7″ and 175 lbs., so it’s not a total disappointment that the 6’1″, 200 lb. freshman Sabb couldn’t keep pace, but it was a reminder that one of Sabb’s limitations is his speed.

As for his strengths, Sabb is bigger and more physical than classmate Zeke Berry, which is why I rank Sabb slightly higher in the countdown. Both of them should get some seasoning in 2023, both on defense and on special teams. Sabb should back up Makari Paige at strong safety this year, and Paige may have a choice to make after the year about whether to stay for a fifth and final year or to make a run at the NFL. Either way, Sabb has a chance this upcoming season to make an impact and try to gain a foothold to potentially start in 2024.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer

2022 Season Countdown: #71 Keon Sabb

Name: Keon Sabb
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 200 lbs.
High school: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: #3
Last year: Sabb was a senior in high school (LINK).
TTB Rating: 84

Sabb was a long-time Clemson commit that Michigan poached from the Tigers after defensive coordinator Brent Venables departed for the Oklahoma head coaching job. Of course, Michigan had its own instability with the loss of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to the Baltimore Ravens, but if you play college football, you have to expect at least one coordinator change during your career. Sabb started his high school career in Glassboro, NJ, but his talent led him to IMG Academy to wrap up, and he was enough of a standout to be selected for the Under Armour All-American Game.

Sabb is probably a strong safety at the Big Ten level, but if he keeps bulking up, he could perhaps play an outside linebacker role. I could see some teams playing him as a nickel, though I think relying on him in a ton of man coverage is probably not a great idea. As for this year, Sabb is likely to take on a backup role. I think he’s too good to redshirt and could help on special teams, but Michigan has some experience at safety in Rod Moore, R.J. Moten, and Makari Paige.

Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer