Regardless of class, you can always count on a first-year player coming in and being a big part of whatever Michigan football is doing.
In the Jim Harbaugh era we can look back at Grant Perry (2015), Chris Evans (2016), Donovan Peoples-Jones (2017), Aidan Hutchinson (2018), Daxton Hill (2019), Blake Corum (2020), Rod Moore (2021) and Will Johnson (2022). All played key roles in their first years.
So who will be that player in 2023?
247Sports’ Chris Hummer put together a list of the 100 instant impact freshmen in college football and his inclusion for the Wolverines is a late addition to the class, a cornerback who has garnered comparisons to Will Johnson by the coaching staff.
Jyaire Hill, CB, Michigan
Top247 Rank: No. 220 overall, No. 23 CB
Michigan entered the spring with only two proven options at cornerback (Will Johnson, Mike Sainristil), which provides an opportunity for a young player like Hill to contribute. The 6-foot-2, 171-pound Hill had a strong spring practice run for the Wolverines. And while he’s unlikely to repeat Johnson’s production last season, he’s someone who’s drawn a ton of praise.
“I think Jyaire Hill is going to be a guy,” Michigan DC Jesse Minter said. “I don’t know if I’d put him on Will’s track, but I think he’s going to be capable of helping us this year.”
Certainly cornerback is a position of need for the maize and blue, albeit less so after UMass transfer Josh Wallace committed last week. Still, the position opposite Johnson will be a competition among Wallace, Hill, Ja’Den McBurrows, Myles Pollard and presumptive starter Amorion Walker.
Other candidates in our view include running back Benjamin Hall and defensive tackle Trey Pierce.
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