Michigan Football: Cupboard at safety is full for first time in years

Once an afterthought of a position, safety has suddenly become a much-needed strength for the near future of Michigan football.

Makari Paige, RJ Moten and Jordan Morant now make up the current crop of pledges committed for the 2020 safety class. Three of the best in the class to go along with Daxton Hill is a scary good thing that Michigan football has not had at the safety position for quite a long time. That is of course if all three remain committed throughout the process.

The best safety prospect that Michigan has seen in the last two decades was arguably 2001 signee Ernest Shazor. He was a highly rated recruit who actually lived up to the hype. Other top signings that roamed the defensive backfield in recent memory include Jordan Kovacs, Dymonte Thomas and Ryan Mundy. That trio left their own respective marks on the program during their time in the maize and blue, but none seemed to play at the level that Shazor did.

All three of the recent commits bring different aspects to the position. Paige is 6-foot-3 and has a nose to find the ball carrier. Morant looks the part already while being ranked as the top prospect of the trio, according to multiple sites.

Moten (who will play baseball also) is an all-around type athlete who may follow in the footsteps of fellow New Jersey native, Jabrill Peppers. Speed will be a concern for the three of them combined though, but they all have enough time to hone their skills before they enter college.

With Josh Metellus graduating, all three could see the field early. Hill will all but certainly have locked down a spot by then leaving the other position up for grabs depending upon who is still on the roster at that moment in time.

By officially inking the trio in February 2020 or during the early signing period,  it will be a major coup for the defense.

Michigan football has to go after all the defensive backs it can to match up with speed in the Big Ten. The struggle with crossing routes, in general, is something that the Wolverines know all too well. Hill has to know all about it by now and will have it tattooed into his head by the time these Moten, Morant and Paige join him on campus.

Plus, the fact that all three are not afraid of competition speaks volumes. Most kids run away from it as quickly as possible these days. The transfer portal has become almost as popular as social media.