Could Rod Moore Be Mike Sainristil 2.0?

Michigan fans got some phenomenal news when rising senior safety Rod Moore announced that he'd be back for his final year of eligibility. Fellow safety Makari Paige also announced that he'll be back in Ann Arbor next year as well. That double dip of news got me thinking — could Rod Moore be a 2024 version of Mike Sainristil?

Normally I don't like the idea of moving someone out of a position that they're so good at, but I think it actually makes a lot of sense to make Moore the full time nickel in Sainristil's absence with the way the rest of the pieces fit together.

With Paige returning, he and Keon Sabb would make for an outstanding, lengthy and versatile safety duo. They could easily handle the workload there, freeing up Moore to be the nickel. Moore is an terrific safety, there's no doubt, but I think he provides more value trying to replace the irreplaceable Sainristil. The two are similarly built — Sainristil at 5-10, 182, Moore at 6-0, 198 — with similar skill sets. Both are sticky in coverage, much more physical than you'd expect, exceptional open-field tacklers and experienced leaders. Both Moore and Sainristil have been described as coaches on the field by several actual coaches on the Michigan staff and the two both have a knack for being in the right place at the right time and around the ball. 

Of course, Will Johnson has one cornerback spot locked down and he may be the best returning cover man in the entire country. The spot opposite Johnson is once again vacant with Josh Wallace declaring for the NFL Draft, but there are a few players on the roster who could take control of it — Ja'Den McBurrows and DJ Waller to name a couple. 

I think if the goal is to get your five best secondary players on the field together, moving Moore to nickel does that. If Moore is at the nickel, he, Paige and Sabb are on the field at all times together as opposed to rotating the three of them at two different safety positions. Obviously Johnson won't come off the field, so then it's all about filling that other cornerback spot — either with a current Wolverine or an incoming transfer. That's the same situation Michigan was in entering the 2023 season and Josh Wallace filled in perfectly and resulted in U-M having the No. 1 defense in the country. The Wolverines are losing a lot from that No. 1 defense, but there's enough returning to have the best defense in the Big Ten at least in 2024.