After spring ball, Michigan football realized it needed some help in the defensive backfield. Projected starter opposite Will Johnson, DJ Waller, unexpectedly transferred to Kentucky, and thus the Wolverines had to go with Jyaire Hill as the starter opposite him.
But the maize and blue weren’t going to rest on the laurels of their personnel, and thus, they brought in Albany transfer Aamir Hall and UNLV transfer Ricky Johnson.
For Hall, it’s been something of an adjustment, coming from the Football Championship Subdivision to the big leagues, and having played a ton of meaningful minutes with Johnson being oft-injured this season, he’s learning a lot about where he can grow and where his limitations are.
“Honestly, the speed of the game and then, just the physicality has been taking a step up,” Hall said. “And it’s been really good, honestly. Prepares me and has developed me a lot since I’ve been here.”
Hall knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, coming to Ann Arbor to play against Big Ten teams. But that was exactly what he had hoped, in some regard.
A ball hawk in the FCS, Hall wanted to improve his game, and coming to Michigan has allowed him to do just that.
“I knew that’s the challenge that I was looking for,” Hall said. “And honestly, like coming here, I feel like I wasn’t — I didn’t really know what to expect, but I knew there was going to be a challenge, and I feel like I’ve been handling it pretty well. ”
Though he’s played mostly outside, inserted into the boundary to play opposite Hill, Hall is more versatile than he’s shown. Though it’s what he’s most comfortable with, playing outside, getting more familiar with an NFL-caliber defense is helping him grow rapidly.
“I’ve played boundary corner for most of my career, and here I’ve played both field and boundary,” Hall said. “And honestly, that’s helped me develop my game totally on just a versatility level and just being in more so NFL defense (with) Wink Martindale coming down to college football. I’ve learned a lot, and feel like that will prepare me for the next level.”
Hall has 17 tackles in seven games, half a tackle for loss, and two passes broken up.