Tag: Zeke Berry

2025 Season Countdown: #10 Zeke Berry

Name: Zeke Berry
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Concord (CA) De La Salle
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Berry #22 and said he would be the starting nickel with 35 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions (LINK). He started twelve games (7 at nickel, 5 at cornerback) and made 37 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 9 pass breakups, 2 quarterback hurries, and 1 forced fumble.
TTB Rating: 82

Berry went from not playing much at all in 2023 to being a guy Michigan felt they could plug in everywhere in 2024. He started off the season playing nickel and made an interception against Fresno State in his debut. But things in coverage were a little iffy during the first half of the season and he got lost at times.

Then star cornerback Will Johnson suffered an injury and missed the second half of the year. As coaches often say, “Get your best eleven on the field.” So rather than putting in a backup cornerback who wasn’t ready for prime time, Michigan reshuffled pieces in the defensive backfield and moved Berry to cornerback, moving safety Makari Paige to nickel. I wasn’t sure if Berry would be able to pull it off because he can be a little bit stiff in the hips, but his speed and physicality paid off. Michigan’s defense improved in the last third of the season as players got used to new defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and his deployment of personnel.

Now Berry is a key part of the defense going into 2025. He’s solidly in the starting lineup and expected to play corner all season. In fact, last year he was named the team’s defensive player of the year, probably largely because of his versatility to play a variety of positions. (I don’t think he was a better overall player than Mason Graham, for example.) I think Michigan has more depth at cornerback than some people think because there are talented players on the roster, but there is a general lack of experience outside of the two starters and backup transfer Caleb Anderson.

Prediction: Starting cornerback; 30 tackles, 2 interceptions

2024 Season Predictions

NOTE: I want to acknowledge that this post is coming out after Michigan’s first game. I usually get this post done prior to the season – for obvious reasons – but I was scrambling to finish the countdown and just couldn’t get it all wrapped up. Some of these predictions were already shared in the season countdown posts, but some were not addressed.

LEADING RUSHER
I’m not sure how well this prediction holds up after watching game one against Fresno State, in which Kalel Mullings outgained Donovan Edwards. But I believed Edwards would be the lead back and put up a good chunk of yards.
Prediction: Donovan Edwards, 1100 yards

Hit the jump for the rest of the prognostications.

2024 Season Countdown: #22 Zeke Berry

Name: Zeke Berry
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 196 lbs.
High school: Concord (CA) De La Salle
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Berry #43 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He played in eleven games and made 3 tackles.
TTB Rating: 82

There’s not much to say about Zeke Berry from last year, because he barely played. Michigan had a stacked safety room, so the coaches used him on just 42 total defensive snaps – 30 against East Carolina and 12 against Michigan State. The former 4-star safety recruit has earned a lot of buzz behind the scenes for his athleticism, but he has yet to turn that into any meaningful playing time or production.

He seems poised to change that narrative in 2024. After nickel corner Mike Sainristil graduated and moved on to the NFL following last season, all eyes have been on the void left behind by his absence. Berry has popped up in almost every practice report as a standout with his speed and aggression. There has been caution not to expect him to get everyone organized like Sainristil did, and unlike last year, the backup nickel is a redshirt junior in Ja’Den McBurrows and not a redshirt sophomore Ja’Den McBurrows. I’m ranking Berry down near the bottom end of the starters because of the presence of McBurrows, but hopes are high that Berry is a star in the making.

Prediction: Starting nickel; 35 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions

Transfer Portal Shopping List

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.

Hit the jump for more.

2023 Season Countdown: #43 Zeke Berry

Name: Zeke Berry
Height: 5’11″
Weight: 192 lbs.
High school: Concord (CA) De La Salle
Position: Safety
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #10
Last year: I ranked Berry #79 and said he would be a backup safety (LINK). He played in two games and made 1 tackle for loss.
TTB Rating: 82

Zeke Berry flipped from Arizona to Michigan in the 2022 class. An athletic safety prospect, he was a player who could have played corner or safety. It appears that Michigan settled on safety, at least for the time being, and he got a couple cracks at playing last season. Fortunately, Michigan had solid depth at the position, which allowed Berry to maintain his redshirt.

He will get a chance to contribute a little more in 2023. R.J. Moten transferred to Florida once it became apparent that he couldn’t put a stranglehold on a starting job, leaving Rod Moore and Makari Paige to start at safety. Other contenders to play this season include Quinton Johnson, Keon Sabb, and Berry. I think Berry is probably the most athletic of the three, but Johnson is more experienced and Sabb has the size advantage, while Berry is still pretty small at 5’11” and 192 lbs. (down from a listed 6’0″, 195 last year). Johnson should be gone after this season, and there’s some talk that Moore might leave for the NFL, so it will be important for the coaching staff to get some experience for Berry and Sabb, who should both have a great opportunity to play in 2024.

Prediction: Backup safety