Last season, Jyaire Hill was an early enrollee freshman making strong impressions in spring and fall camp.

After seeing action in Michigan's first four games of the 2023 season, Hill was on the sideline, setting up his first season to be a redshirt.

Hill didn't struggle to accept the lack of playing time. Instead, he chose to trust the coaches.

"If they sat me on the sideline, that was for a reason," Hill told media on Monday.

"I just took that as I got to get better. Coming from high school, you got to learn the playbook before you get on the field."

Hill accepted his role but knew he wanted to be on the field in 2024. So, with coaches sending a message, Hill simply asked what he needed to do to be positioned for playing time.

"I sat out, redshirt, and just asked what I needed to do to play next year. Playbook, follow behind the leaders, like Will Johnson and Makari (Paige), just stay with them, and let them teach me the game."

Last season, former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said Hill could follow a similar ascension to Johnson. If you're Hill, who better to try and learn from than the best corner in college football? Hill says he focused on every little detail of Johnson's game.

"I learned technique, I just follow what he does on the field. Everything. How he starts practices, how he warms up, get his body ready, stay healthy. "

For his effort, Johnson has taken notice of Hill's efforts and improvements.

“Yeah, he definitely took that next step,” Johnson said. “So far, he’s been a lot more reliable. Knows the playbook really well. He’s always in the right spot now. So he’s a really athletic guy, and he’s always on the ball. So he’s got a good chance at making a lot of plays this year. Just being consistent, knowing what he’s supposed to be doing, not making the same mistake over and over."

Hill is competing with transfers Aamir Hall and Ricky Johnson for the starting CB2 role opposite Johnson. Head coach Sherrone Moore named him the leader ahead of fall camp, and so far, through fall practices, Hill continues to live up to his hype.

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