A win is a win. I always try to keep things in perspective. Herm Edwards famously said “You play to win the game,” and Michigan won the game. The Wolverines are 3-1 and their primary goals are still within play: win the Big Ten, beat your rivals, make the College Football Playoff, and win a national championship. Sometimes you win ugly, and sometimes you win pretty. It might help put things in perspective that star tight end Colston Loveland missed the entire game with an arm injury and Will Johnson was absent at the end of the game. This just happened to be an ugly victory, but oh well.
Name: Makari Paige Height: 6’4″ Weight: 208 lbs. High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield Position: Safety Class: Fifth year senior Jersey number: #7 Last year: I ranked Paige #19 and said he would be a starting safety (LINK). He made 41 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass breakups, and 1 quarterback hurry. TTB Rating: 79
Paige was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection in 2023 after being a thirteen-game starter. He was not a flashy player, but he’s an extremely steady player. His long arms help him cover some ground as a tackler where others might whiff, and he was probably better in coverage than I thought he would be, even though that’s not his strength. PFF gave him a 71.4 pass coverage grade and an 86.0 tackling grade, so you can see the discrepancy. Altogether he was part of a nice combination with Rod Moore and/or Keon Sabb.
The picture at safety has completely changed in 2024. And Paige was recently named a captain. But just by coincidence, I once again ranked Paige at #19, just like last year. Rod Moore is out with a torn ACL and Keon Sabb is at Alabama, but Quinten Johnson returned for a sixth year and Michigan brought in two transfer portal starters in the form of Wesley Walker and Jaden Mangham. That gives Michigan four starting-caliber safeties on the roster this year, so if Paige were going to miss any time, the depth should help mitigate issues. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale recently said that Paige might get the “green dot” on defense (a.k.a. the in-helmet communication) or it might go to linebacker Ernest Hausmann, so I don’t want to discount Paige’s leadership. But the depth (or lack thereof) at some other spots has me ranking Paige as one of the lower-end starters in the countdown.
The transfer portal opens up on Tuesday, April 16, and lots of schools are going to be shopping. With spring games out of the way for many programs – and Michigan’s coming up this Saturday – we’re enough of the way through spring ball to be aware of some roster deficiencies going into the fall.
Here are the top three positions Michigan should be looking for in the transfer portal prior to August camp:
1. QUARTERBACK I know there are some big Alex Orji fans out there, but . . . I’m not one of them. At least not yet. Orji was a project coming out of high school, and in his second season in a Michigan uniform, he did not attempt a single pass. Yes, he can run at 6’3″ and 236 pounds (15 carries, 86 yards, 1 touchdown in 2023), but I’m on the record as a Passing QB Enthusiast. While I’m not a proponent of statuesque quarterbacks, championship teams have good passers and decision-makers, not run-first quarterbacks. I don’t think Michigan has the roster to win an FBS championship in 2024, anyway, but I don’t think they’re going to hit their ceiling without finding a quarterback who can pass the ball efficiently. Some of the big names have already found a new home, but perhaps the Wolverines can find the 2024 version of Jake Rudock, a solid passing quarterback who led Michigan to ten wins back in 2015. Others in the running are seventh-year senior Jack Tuttle and redshirt sophomore Jayden Denegal, but Tuttle had shoulder surgery and Denegal needs some polish since he’s not quite as dangerous as a runner as Orji.
Michigan dominated the all-conference selections in 2023, which is to be somewhat expected with a 12-0 record.
FIRST TEAM QB J.J. McCarthy (Coaches, Media) RB Blake Corum (Coaches, Media) OL La’Darius Henderson (Coaches) OL Zak Zinter (Coaches, Media) C Drake Nugent (Coaches, Media) TE Colston Loveland (Coaches) DL Mason Graham (Coaches) DB Will Johnson (Coaches, Media) DB Mike Sainristil (Media)
SECOND TEAM WR Roman Wilson (Coaches, Media) TE Colston Loveland (Media) OL Karsen Barnhart (Coaches) OL La’Darius Henderson (Media) OL Trevor Keegan (Coaches, Media) DL Kenneth Grant (Coaches) DL Kris Jenkins, Jr. (Coaches, Media) LB Junior Colson (Coaches, Media) DB Mike Sainristil (Coaches) K James Turner (Coaches)
THIRD TEAM OL Karsen Barnhart (Media) DL Mason Graham (Media) DL Kenneth Grant (Media) LB Michael Barrett (Coaches) DB Rod Moore (Coaches) P Tommy Doman (Media)
HONORABLE MENTION WR Cornelius Johnson (Media) TE A.J. Barner (Coaches, Media) DL Jaylen Harrell (Coaches, Media) DL Braiden McGregor (Coaches, Media) DL Derrick Moore (Coaches, Media) DL Josaiah Stewart (Coaches) LB Michael Barrett (Media) DB Rod Moore (Media) DB Makari Paige (Coaches) DB Josh Wallace (Coaches, Media) K James Turner (Media) P Tommy Doman (Media) RET Semaj Morgan (Coaches, Media)
I believe every single Michigan starter is represented here except FB/TE Max Bredeson (1 start), OL Trente Jones (2 starts), WR Tyler Morris (2 starts), safety Keon Sabb (4 starts). Even a full-time backup in Derrick Moore – who has yet to start a single game – was named Honorable Mention by both the coaches and the media.
Do you see any snubs?
Personally, I think Mike Sainristil should have been 1st team to both coaches/media. Meanwhile, I’m surprised Barnhart was valued so highly since he struggled in pass protection so much, especially over the last three weeks of the season.
Name: Makari Paige Height: 6’4″ Weight: 208 lbs. High school: West Bloomfield (MI) West Bloomfield Position: Safety Class: Senior Jersey number: #7 Last year: I ranked Paige #38 and said he would be a backup safety and special teamer (LINK). He started five games and made 41 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 sack, 1 interception, 3 pass breakups, and 1 quarterback hurry. TTB Rating: 79
Paige had an uphill climb to play safety last year. Not only was fellow safety Rod Moore a fixture in the starting lineup, but R.J. Moten also had played significant time and began the year as Michigan’s strong safety. Paige played quite a bit in 2020, but he disappeared a little bit in 2021.
But that uphill climb? Paige climbed it. He started five of the games down the stretch, including against Purdue in the Big Ten championship game. Perhaps his most noteworthy play was the tipped, juggling interception he notched against Ohio State in the waning moments of last season’s 45-23 win. Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud tried to float the ball in to a fairly well covered tight end in Cade Stover, and Stover’s leaping attempt tipped the ball in the air, leaving it to be corralled by Paige. It snuffed out any hopes Ohio State had of coming back against the Wolverines.
This year Moten saw the writing on the wall and transferred to Florida, even though it looks like he’ll be a backup this year for the Gators. That leaves Moore and Paige as the seemingly unquestioned leaders to start at safety, with guys like Quinten Johnson, Zeke Berry, and Keon Sabb backing them up. Johnson is experienced and both Berry and Sabb come with some excitement about their athleticism, so it’s a fairly solid situation for the Wolverines. Paige added about eight pounds in the off-season and should be ready to be a little more physical, even though physicality has never really been a problem. He should have a good season and could get drafted after the year if he chooses to leave.
