While recruiting is the lifeblood of a program, sometimes, retaining talent you very well could lose can be as well. Whether it’s to the NFL draft or NCAA transfer portal, bona fide, proven talent can be gone in a flash.
So, when a big-time player comes back when they don’t have to, it’s a big deal.
Michigan football received such a shot in the arm on Sunday night when one of its favorite sons and a team captain announced he plans to return for a fifth year. And they’re getting production, as said fifth-year player is Mike Sainristil, who switched from wide receiver to defensive back this offseason.
Sainristil joins transfer Eyabi Okie as Wolverines who have announced they plan to return in 2023. In 2022, he leads the team with seven passes broken up and is fourth on the team with 51 tackles.
He arrived as a three-star from Everett (Massachusetts) in 2019 and was a productive receiver when that was his primary position. With the 2020 COVID-19 year, Sainristil can return for another year despite having never redshirted.
He needs to look more like the second-half against Indiana than anything on Saturday. #GoBlue
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Confidence levels for the Week 13 contest at Ohio State were hitting an all-time high in the state of Michigan entering last week’s game vs. Illinois, but then Blake Corum was injured and the offense looked listless without him and several other key players in the lineup.
The Wolverines are mum on Corum’s status entering The Game, and though he and Donovan Edwards are thought to be capable of playing, albeit not at full strength, should that be the case, Michigan football’s chances will rely heavily on a pass game that has intermittently looked good, but mostly has been absent this season. That doesn’t mean that the maize and blue aren’t capable, at least that’s the prevailing thought inside Schembechler Hall.
Cornerback Mike Sainristil knows a little something about being involved in the pass game, considering he was a wide receiver from when he arrived in 2019 until this season when he made the switch to defense. Given what he’s seen in practice, he’s a little befuddled as to why what’s happened on State St. hasn’t translated onto Main St., but he’s sure that in a game like this one, if needed, the pass game can get the job done.
“They hit them in practice,” Sainristil said. “They’ve hit a few on me. But, I don’t think they’re far, there’s just the little things, I would say. Whether it’s routes need to be ran faster or timing, I’m not sure exactly what it is. But I know for a fact that this week it will be on point — I’m not gonna say hope. I just know it’s gonna be on point this week.”
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But why hasn’t Michigan’s pass game worked in his eyes? What’s been going wrong? Clearly, he has insight where many may not, given that he was a part of that group with the same players a year ago.
He doesn’t believe that these are deep-seated issues, and that whatever the trivial mistakes are that are keeping the Wolverines from breaking out can be remedied before Saturday.
“I’m not saying it’s really a disconnect. I’m just saying it’s not like it doesn’t happen,” Sainristil said. “It’s not like they’re not on the same page. It’s just catches need to be made.
“Not every pass is a perfect pass but sometimes receivers bail out the quarterbacks, quarterbacks can help put receivers in good positions. So it’s gonna — it’ll be cleaned up.”
Of course, some of the onus is on the receivers, but just as much is on quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The former five-star was electric passing the ball in the first half of the season, but since Michigan went run-heavy against Penn State in Week 7, the pass game hasn’t quite looked the same.
On Saturday, McCarthy’s arm was one component that led to Michigan’s comeback win over the Illini. It didn’t finish drives, but did put kicker Jake Moody in position to drill the two field goals which proved the difference.
Sainristil notes that McCarthy does have the ability to do special things, and even though that talent was intermittent on Saturday, he can be dangerous in any given game.
“After Saturday, I call him the miracle boy, just because he goes out there and makes it happen. And that’s just who he is,” Sainristil said. “Extending plays if he has to or keeps getting the ball to the receivers, now picking up fumbles, rolling out, still completing a pass or getting sacked, throw it up to a running back and completing it. That’s just who he is and what he does.”
Michigan and Ohio State will kick off at 12:14 p.m. EST in Columbus.
Michigan dominated Rutgers on Saturday night and moved to 9-0 on the season after leaving Piscataway with a 52-17 victory.
The Wolverines entered halftime down 17-14 and looked like Michigan was going to have its hands full with the Scarlet Knights for the third-straight game the two teams had faced. Michigan made some uncharacteristic mistakes like missing two field goals and having a punt blocked returned for a touchdown in the first half.
But the maize and blue continue to make fantastic second-half adjustments. Michigan is currently outscoring its opponents in the third quarter, 84-6. That’s pure domination.
The Wolverines’ offense gained 433 yards and the running game ran for 282 yards. Michigan ran 80 plays during the game and the Wolverines had 21 first downs.
The Michigan defense had a fantastic second half. The Wolverines held Rutgers to 180 yards of total offense and 14 rushing yards. The Scarlet Knights had five first downs during the game. The maize and blue forced three interceptions as well on Saturday.
Here are our players of the game after Michigan defeated Rutgers.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — No. 4 Michigan played its third-straight home game to start the season and on Saturday the Wolverines hosted the 1-2 Connecticut Huskies.
Michigan thrashed UConn, 59-0, in its last game before Big Ten play starts next week. The Wolverines had their first shutout of the season.
The Wolverines took a 38-0 lead at halftime and it was smooth sailing in the second half — or maybe it was after a 17-0 lead in the first quarter.
Michigan played its starters for the first series in the second half before turning it over to the backups. The J.J. McCarthy-led Wolverines totaled 467 yards of total offense and the Wolverines’ defense created havoc against a lowly UConn Huskies team. The maize and blue only allowed 110 yards of total offense to the Huskies and Michigan recovered a ‘non-forced’ fumble by UConn.
Both Alex Orji and Alan Bowman come in during the second half to lead touchdown drives, and Leon Franklin had his first-career rushing touchdown. It was a great day for the Wolverines that don’t see the field much. The maize and blue played eight different quarterbacks.
Here are our five takeaways after Michigan defeated UConn on Saturday.
He’s been a pleasant surprise on the defensive side of the ball. #GoBlue
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh has a history of having players switch positions and succeeding. Though some experiments haven’t gone as planned — Ben Mason as a defensive tackle didn’t exactly work out — we’ve seen numerous players excel when asking to play on another side of the ball.
His most famous conversion was probably Richard Sherman from wide receiver to cornerback at Stanford, but in Ann Arbor, Chase Winovich was a positional journeyman before settling in at edge rusher, Hassan Haskins was a linebacker for a spell before switching to running back at the end of his freshman year, and Michael Barrett was a quarterback in high school before becoming a safety then linebacker with the Wolverines.
The latest position switch has gone swimmingly, with Mike Sainristil converting from wide receiver to defensive back. He’s been everywhere, reminding Jim Harbaugh of Dax Hill with the way he’s played the nickel position. But why has he been successful?
According to his position coach, co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale, he’s seeing a guy who has a good understanding of defense due to his time on offense, and has been successful when it comes to executing his position.
“He’s doing veteran things,” Clinkscale said. “He’s out there anticipating the issues and doing a very good job of disguising and in understanding what they’re trying to do to attack us. And like I say all the time, he’s doing his job, which makes him a really good player. But he’s also doing things that make him great at times — when he could do his job and do someone else’s job, but making sure his job’s taken care of. You see him do that, really, with his effort.”
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What’s more, Sainristil has thrived because he’s accepted the position switch, wholeheartedly.
A team captain this year, Sainristil famously once said he’d play offensive line if he was asked to, so it’s no surprise that he’s attacked his new position with a fervor. Clinkscale expects to see him to continue to get more and more snaps as the year goes on, which is partly due to his ability, but also due to his leadership.
“His unbelievable effort, unbelievable strain, unbelievable passion on just trying to make plays and do things right,” Clinkscale said. “He wants to be the best DB on the team, wants to be the best DB in the nation. That’s his goal. Like he’ll play receiver, he’ll do anything we’ve asked him to do. But he definitely wants to wherever it’s going to be, he wants to be the best at it. And it’s just, it’s really just his drive and his personality, his mental makeup. He’s already a leader, and he’s gonna continue to be great in that role.
“But I continue to see him getting more of a role at corner, especially this week. And you’ll see, he’s got a lot of upside. He’s very fast, very strong, always physical. But he’s kind of a coach on the field a little bit. I love having him around the room, I do. I love being around him.”
Sainristil was previously committed to Virginia Tech as a cornerback before pledging to the Wolverines as a wide receiver.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Michigan Wolverines took care of business on Saturday against an unranked Colorado State team that hired Jay Norvell as the head coach away from conference foe Nevada.
The No. 8 Wolverines defeated a new-look Colorado State team, 51-7. The Rams had a disastrous season in 2021 going just 3-9, but with Norvell at the helm, Colorado State should be a much better team in 2022.
The Michigan offense, even after coming up short in the red zone three times, still put up 51 points and the offense totaled 440 yards of total offense. The running attack was just as potent as usual, Michigan rushed for 234 yards. Both Corum and Edwards rushed for over 5 yards-per-carry and rushed to combine for 140 yards on the ground.
The Michigan defense was stout even after replacing multiple starters from last year’s team. The Wolverines only allowed 219 yards of total offense and sacked the quarterback seven times. The Michigan defense was able to stop the ball carrier multiple times on Saturday, recording 11 tackles-for-loss.
Here are our players of the game from Saturday’s beatdown of the Rams.
Michigan football begins its season next Saturday, Sept. 3 against Colorado State for the home opener.
The Wolverines are hoping for a repeat of the magical 2021 season. The maize and blue not only defeated their arch-rival Ohio State 42-27 last year, but Michigan also reigned supreme over the Big Ten after it beat Iowa in the Big Ten Title game. The Wolverines made their first College Football Playoff appearance but faltered against the eventual champion, Georgia.
While Michigan is ranked No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and No. 8 in the AP Poll, the Wolverines aren’t a popular pick to repeat as Big Ten champions. According to the national media, Ohio State is going to take back over the Big Ten and it could even make noise in the CFP if projections ring true.
A big reason why Michigan isn’t being picked to repeat in 2022 is due to it losing Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo, Josh Ross, Dax Hill, and Brad Hawkins on the defensive side of the ball. But like every year — look back at Ojabo last season — players come out of thin air to become huge playmakers.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On Thursday, Cade McNamara earned a very special distinction: he’s the first quarterback in the Jim Harbaugh era to be named a team captain outright.
While Shea Patterson was an alternate, it does speak volumes that Michigan has a signal caller get that type of respect from his teammates (the captaincy vote is via the players, not the coaches) in anticipation of the season. But if you listen to a vocal sect of the Michigan fan base, they’re banking on his fall camp competition, J.J. McCarthy, to be the starting quarterback. The national media also seems on board. But McNamara being named a team captain further shows that he has earned the trust and respect of his teammates — which is no small thing for a quarterback.
Patterson aside, there have been a lot of quarterbacks to start a game in the Jim Harbaugh era who have not earned this distinction — a list that includes Jake Rudock, Wilton Speight, John O’Korn, Brandon Peters, and Joe Milton. That’s not to say any of the above weren’t leaders, but McNamara brings a different element to this team, one you can’t quantify via statistics.
“Quarterback makes a lot of big decisions that impact the game and you always want the guy who’s making those decisions to be respected by the guys he’s making the decisions for,” fellow team captain, defensive tackle Mazi Smith said. “You always want to look into a quarterback and see somebody who embodies the team and can bring the team together when he needs to. And keep the team going.”
And he appears to be keeping the team going both on and off the field.
From Big Ten Network’s report that McNamara was can’t-miss in the fall practice they witnessed to begin voted a team captain, there’s a ton of evidence that the fourth-year quarterback has seized on his opportunity, regardless of the upstart McCarthy nipping at his heels. While there’s more to playing quarterback than simply making throws, though some fans comment that he needs to be better in that regard — despite having the higher completion percentage a year ago, even with a bigger sample size — it does appear that he’s doing just that in fall camp.
“I feel like the level I’m playing at is very high right now in terms of where I’ve been in my career,” McNamara said. “I have for sure gotten much better than I was this time last year or even at the end of the season last year. And I’ve recognized that and obviously, my teammates have as well.”
Though McNamara has improved his playing ability, he exudes leadership. Coming off a year where leadership helped propel the Wolverines from 2-4 in 2020 to 12-2, the Big Ten Championship and a College Football Playoff berth, given that Aidan Hutchinson, Josh Ross, and Andrew Vastardis — three of last year’s team captains — are now gone, the maize and blue need a presence to propel them all the same.
McNamara is that, and at the most important position.
What’s more, he’s had time on task. Senior Mike Sainristil recalls McNamara’s efforts to get him to flip to Michigan from Virginia Tech, working to build the class that is now in its fourth year. Also, given that just three years ago at this time, McNamara was fourth on the depth chart, that he finally got an opportunity the following year and ran with it, it was a moment that galvanized the team.
That Rutgers game, when McNamara helped lead a come-from-behind victory in triple overtime on the road cemented his status, and it’s something that no one who was on that 2020 team has forgotten.
“I feel like ever since I met Cade, he’s been a leader,” Sainristil said. “Even in just recruiting, like I said, I feel like he was one of the more vocal guys in our class. When we first came in, it was obviously harder because he was a freshman quarterback. He was behind Shea, Dylan, Joe — a good amount of guys where the vocal presence isn’t viewed as high.
“2020, when he got the opportunity to help change the Rutgers game around, his message in locker room was, ‘What happens if we can still win out?’ And I feel like from that point on, guys just viewed Cade very different. This is somebody who is our quarterback, this is somebody that at all times is viewed as probably the most important position on the field. He dictates a lot, he controls a lot. And I don’t think anyone here doesn’t trust Cade in anything. I feel like since that Cade’s really been a true leader.”
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Fans as pundits
Photo: Isaiah Hole
McNamara might be the favorite in the locker room, but all it takes to see that he might not be with the fan base is scouring Twitter any time the official Michigan account or any media account (including ours) mentions him. Or, really anywhere on social media when Michigan is brought up.
The senior quarterback sees and hears everything, no matter how much he tries to block it out. Every time he’s appeared in the media since earning the starting quarterback job in 2021, he’s been bombarded with questions about his competition with McCarthy. No matter how stern-faced he may appear, he still answers the question and moves on. At least vocally.
But, on the field, when he’s actually battling with the former five-star, McNamara uses the doubt to propel him, and thusly propel his team.
“It’s fuel, I think being able to continue to deal with adversity is just something that makes people better and your ability to handle it will define you. And really not just for me, but for this team as well,” McNamara said. “When this team faces adversity this season, how we react will define us, and we’re well aware of that and we have really pushed that message. As the captains and other leaders on the team, we’ve pushed that message as well. How you deal with that adversity, that’s gonna be a defining moment for our team. So not just for me, but for this team. I think we’re gonna attack it.”
His evenness is something that his teammates appreciate.
Like Sainristil said, he’s long been a vocal proponent of the team, helping galvanize a sometimes fractured unit. When he took over in 2020 at Rutgers, the Wolverines were in danger of losing to what has long been thought of as the worst team in the conference, at least since 2015. It was on the ropes, and he helped guide it back.
Though that was the first time fans witnessed his moxie, it wasn’t anything the team hadn’t seen before. It turns out, that type of leadership can grow.
But he’s always had this fire in him, it’s just brighter now that he’s in the spotlight — whether people outside of Schembechler Hall like it or not.
“Just by coming up and being the same guy every day, competing and always trying to get that edge,” Smith said. “Cade is one of the hardest working guys I’ve seen and one of the biggest competitors and he’s been that way since he got here. Lately — now that he’s the starter, the eyes are on him, people just see it now. But he’s always been the way he is. You appreciate having a guy like that, that wants to win all the time.”
Interesting that he’s been mentioned multiple times by different players. #GoBlue
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mike Sainristil already knows what it’s like to play wide receiver for the Michigan football team. For his first three years in Ann Arbor, it’s been his forte, along with special teams. But in 2022, he’s made something of a switch to the defensive side of the ball, playing cornerback.
While Sainristil might still play on offense, that he’s spent the bulk of fall camp on defense has given him a bit of a different perspective of his original position, meaning he can share some insight on what it’s like to go up against the offensive skill players as a defensive back.
On Tuesday, we asked Sainristil who’s the toughest to defend, and while he named all the usual suspects, he did mention one obscure player on the roster.
“Roman runs was really fast. Ronnie’s really detailed with his routes, and he’s been looking really sharp since he’s been back off his injury,” Sainristil said. “Peyton O’Leary is one that’s coming up right now. Walk on guy, but I don’t even look at him that way. I think he’s right up there with anybody who’s on scholarship, he’s doing really well right now. Cornelius, Andrel, A.J. — everyone looks really good right now. So that’s a good thing for them. And it’s great for us as DBs, there’s a level of competition we need to help us get to where we want to be.”
Peyton O’Leary is a second-year player who appeared in one game in 2021. At 6-foot-3, 195-pounds, the Byfield (Mass.) Governor’s Academy walk-on already has some size that’s prototypical of a player at his position.
Sainristil isn’t the only player who mentioned O’Leary standing out in fall camp. Two weeks ago, we asked Ronnie Bell which receiver will surprise fans the most, expecting to hear a name like Andrel Anthony or Darrius Clemons. Nope — it was O’Leary who got the nod from the standout fifth-year receiver.
”I wouldn’t be surprised if the receiver that surprises people this year is Peyton O’Leary,” Bell said. “Because he has had one hell of a camp.”
Of course, it’s one thing to have solid production in camp, it’s another to get on the field and to do it in games. We have seen similar hype given to a walk-on receiver, with somewhat mixed results.
Nate Schoenle got all types of praise before even reaching the 2017 spring game. He ended up leading all the receivers, doing better than even Donovan Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black. While he did have some injuries in his career which precluded him from seeing the field, he never quite reached the hype that was heaped upon him at times. He was, however, a very productive player on special teams.
For O’Leary, it’ll similarly be a steep curve, especially considering that there are so many established playmakers expected to show out in 2022. And while those players are front of mind, you can’t dismiss another who’s earning enough respect from his peers to be mentioned as he has been, especially considering it’s been weeks apart and without any particular through-line.
Jim Harbaugh was right; this team might be ‘scary good!’ #GoBlue
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Mike Sainristil is in an interesting spot in 2022. After having spent three years as a receiver, the senior will be splitting time, also playing on the defensive side of the ball. In fact, he may wholly be committed there — we won’t know for sure until the season arrives.
His being able to move to the defensive backs room is a product of the team having that luxury. While there were question marks heading into spring ball earlier in the year about who would start at corner, with DJ Turner and Gemon Green both stepping it up, Sainristil has become a part of the rotation rather than some kind of stopgap. What’s more, the receiver unit is loaded, with not only every wideout from last year (but one) returning, but it’s added three talented freshmen to the roster in Darrius Clemons, Tyler Morris, and Amorion Walker.
Sainristil can see several young players who could be of the instant impact variety, led by elder statesmen who are eager to repeat last year’s success rather than be satisfied with previous winnings.
“Definitely a lot of grit on this team. A lot of young guys have some stuff to them that this team is going to need,” Sainristil said. “And no one on this team right now is focusing on or banking on what we did last season. Everybody understands that this is a new team, we don’t have those same guys we had last year. And even like as an individual, nobody is the same person they were last year. So, as guys continue stepping into different leadership roles everyone’s just focusing on making sure that this upcoming team is the best team it could possibly be.”
Sainristil details the various reasons, including the younger players, as well as the overall drive of this current team as being the key components pushing the maize and blue in fall camp.
“I would say sharpness in practice,” Sainristil said. “Young guys going from bridge (the freshman academic program), coming to practice, understanding when they had their split time in practice, maize practice and blue practices, it’s helped them tremendously, I would say. Guys are just very focused right now and just everyone understands that we want to make it further than we did last year.
“So just everything that plays into that mindset is was helping us get to where we are right now. But we just know that we have a lot more to go.”
Though Sainristil looks like he could primarily be a defensive player in 2022, as a solely offensive (and special teams) player for the rest of his career, he has some thoughts on the current state of the offense.
Having arrived in 2019, he spent his entire time working with Josh Gattis, who oversaw both the offense and the wide receivers. Though he likes the moves that the Wolverines made upon Gattis’ untimely departure this winter, he still says that there are some elements that have to be worked out, considering neither Sherrone Moore or Matt Weiss — the co-offensive coordinators — have held the job before.
Regardless, he does like what he’s been seeing as he goes up against the offense in camp, noting several position groups that have been excelling thus far.
“I wouldn’t say they’ve picked up where they left off simply, because Coach Gattis is gone,” Sainristil said. “We have a new OC — not new OC in the sense of it’s somebody completely new, but for the first time, we have someone else calling plays. So everyone’s just been trusting what Coach Moore has going on, and Coach Weiss, and they’re doing a good job understanding the old concepts as well as the new concepts.
“And the offense looks really sharp right now. Cade and J.J. are doing a great job with the receivers, the running backs look really good. Olu, who just came in as a center, is doing really great. Right now the whole O-line looks really good. So I’m just excited for what we have to bring this year.”
Michigan will open up the 2022 season on Sept. 3 when it hosts Colorado State.
