ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After the annual spring game, which took place in late April, Michigan football had a lot of questions about how its safety room would look.
Star senior Rod Moore — who opted to return for one more year — tore his ACL in practice and Quinten Johnson was supposedly off to the NFL. However, Johnson opted to return for a sixth year, so at least the Wolverines would have a rotation of fifth-year safety Makari Paige, Johnson, and sophomore Brandyn Hillman.
But life sometimes moves fast, and Michigan looked to move faster.
The Wolverines dipped into the transfer portal, not once, but twice, managing to get former Tennessee safety Wesley Walker and Michigan State defensive back Jaden Mangham. Walker knew someone on-staff in Ann Arbor — linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary, who rejoined the maize and blue after spending the past three years in Knoxville — who compelled him to visit campus after entering the transfer portal.
And considering the depth chart situation that Michigan had, without Rod Moore, Walker saw a path to playing meaningful minutes — which he was already accustomed to as a multi-year starter.
“Being transparent, if Rod didn’t get hurt, I probably wouldn’t have came here,” Walker said. “But as far as coming in and replacing him, we are different players, probably because I’m me and he’s him, so that’s just a given. But, I look forward to showing the fans my style of playing, how I play.”
So, beyond the depth chart, what was appealing about Michigan to Walker?
Of course, the Wolverines are coming off of a national championship, and with that comes a confidence that he hadn’t seen before. He went as far as to say this is the first ‘team’ he’s felt like he’s a part of.
But more than that, there was a lot of appeal, particularly in the way of the facilities and the support staff that Michigan has.
“I felt like Michigan just was the spot for me,” Walker said. “This is my last year, so just trying to find a spot that allowed the smoothest transition for me, and what I want now for my career. When the opportunity came, I knew I had to come see how it was up here. And when I got up here, it was a no-brainer.
“Some of those attributes really — the facility, the access that I have to know just get my body right, not only in the offseason and in season, the things that I have access to. The coaching staff was real transparent with me, and they painted a good picture for how I could be implemented into the defense. And it just, overall, just seemed like the best fit for me, and what I was looking for.”
That may be a lot of what Michigan can do for Walker, but as far as what Walker can do for Michigan, he not only brings experience, but football smarts, too.
A fan of joining Wink Martindale’s versatile defensive system, Walker sees a lot of opportunity, noting that more often than not at Tennessee, he was in a basic quarters coverage. Now, his full skill set can be put to use.
But what does that mean for Michigan? Walker says that the maize and blue are getting a smart, heady player that has seen enough football that he can play fast and instinctual. And what’s more, he can help pass along his knowledge to the younger players.
“Well, I played a lot of snaps in college — this is going into my final year, so I played close to over 2000 snaps,” Walker said. “I’ll bring IQ, a person that’s gonna play really fast, because I trust what I see. And I’m gonna be a sponge as well, though I know that — I know a lot, but I could also learn from other guys around me and my coaches. So I plan on just being a sponge and also spreading the knowledge that I already have.”