5 areas where Michigan Football could improve in 2022

Secondary

The secondary loses three starters from a season ago: safety Daxton Hill, safety Brad Hawkins, and cornerback Vincent Gray.

But they return senior cornerback DJ Turner who was recently named to Pro Football Focus’ First Team All-Big Ten squad.

The senior will be joined on the outside by fellow senior Gemon Green who flashed in the 2020 COVID-shortened season before the injury but fell behind Turner and Gray last season.

Stepping up at safety will be some combination of junior RJ Moten (PFF’s sixth-ranked safety prospect ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft), junior Makari Paige, and sophomore Rod Moore.

That’s a lot of talent and a good amount of experience when considering the multi-year starters they are replacing.

And don’t forget about senior nickel cornerback Mike Sainristil, a converted wide receiver, who has been making serious noise (and plays) in fall camp, and also five-star freshman cornerback Will Johnson who figures to rotate heavily at corner and could usurp Gemon Green once again by season’s end.

The secondary is unproven but extremely talented and has a good chance to be a strength by the time Michigan Football is playing its most important games of the season against the more potent passing attacks they’ll face.

If this group can jell early and work out some of the issues of inexperience together early during the soft schedule, they can become one of the better secondaries in the Big Ten.