Former Michigan football nickel back Mike Sainristil went from being a three-star wide receiver to not only a fan favorite, but a locker room favorite, too. And as it turns out, fans and Sainristil’s former teammates in Ann Arbor aren’t alone in that sentiment.
Sainristil was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL draft and while he’s still a rookie, he’s already come a long way. Though the Commanders pick team captains on a game-by-game basis until the postseason, Sainristil is already ahead of the curve, having been named by the team as a captain for the Thursday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
TNF captains pic.twitter.com/DZvm2K8y4l
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) November 13, 2024
Sainristil was a two-time captain for the maize and blue, having been voted as such by his teammates in both 2022 and 2023. He was a pivotal presence in the locker room as the culture changed going from the 2020 to 2021 seasons and helped carry on the legacy started by Aidan Hutchinson and Josh Ross, the team captains in that pivotal 2021 turnaround year.