Michigan Football suffered its first big loss to the transfer portal, with Safety Keon Sabb entering on Friday.

Sabb was a starter for the first 3 games of the season while Rod Moore and Makari Paige recovered from injuries. He played a rotational role throughout the season but a season high 61 snaps in the National Championship against Washington. Sabb's 6 tackles and 2 pass breakups were career highs, and he was key to the Wolverines victory.

Despite Moore and Paige returning to Michigan for the 2024 season, the expectation was Sabb would have a huge role in the defense this coming season, with either he or Moore spending time at nickel. Sabb appears to want a more locked-down starting job and will pursue other opportunities for his junior season.

Sabb is a big loss because he has shown the talent to be one of the best defenders for Michigan. Replacing Sabb won't be easy, but the Wolverines have experience and talented depth at safety.

Moore and Paige have been the starting safeties for Michigan since 2022, but each saw starting reps going back to their freshman years of 2021 and 2020, respectively. They will lead the back of the defense once again in 2024.

Both dealt with injuries and slow starts in 2023, but if healthy, they are one of the best duos in the country. Both have been All-B1G selections in the last two seasons, and you can't teach their experience level. Moore has played in 37 games with 27 starts while Paige has played in 41 and started in 20.

With Mike Sainristil leaving, the question for Michigan in 2024 is, what happens at Nickel? There was an expectation Sabb could be part of that equation, and you have to think Moore will be for sure. He played a similar role, backing up Dax Hill in 2021. This brings us to the next man up.

During the 2023 offseason, McBurrows competed for the starting CB2 role opposite Will Johnson. That job eventually went to Josh Wallace, and the rise of young players like DJ Waller allowed McBurrows to return to a more natural position at Nickel.

McBurrows is built like a safety playing corner and brings physicality to the spot. The expectation has been that McBurrows will take over the Nickel role to replace Sainristil, but with so much depth at safety, the thought was Sabb and Moore would rotate heavily.

Sabb could get close to the line, impact the run game, and blitz the passer. McBurrows will likely have a bigger role at Nickel without Sabb and may be called on to impact the game at all levels versus possibly rotating depending on down.

Part of the same 2022 recruiting class, Sabb and Zeke Berry have been linked since arriving in Ann Arbor. Both are seen as talented defenders with hybrid-like abilities. Berry was also looking at an expanded role to start last season, but his injuries slowed his progress.

Berry still played in 11 games but mostly contributed on special teams. Last spring, while we debated the CB2 position, one scheme Michigan attempted was having Sainristil at corner and Berry at nickel. A safety/nickel hybrid, Berry made sense in the spot, and Sainristil was the team's second-best corner. Josh Wallace arrived in the summer, which allowed Sainrstil to stay at Nickel.

Berry will enter spring 2024, at minimum, the third safety and will potentially compete or rotate with McBurrows at Nickel. Many thought Sabb and Berry would be the starting safeties in 2024, but Moore and Paige's return obviously changed that. Whether through three safety looks, at nickel, or maybe by stealing someone's job, Berry should see the field a ton this year.

There are still alot of fans not familiar with Brandyn Hillman. A late addition to the 2023 class, Hillman joined Michigan after getting released from his NLI to Notre Dame. Despite joining a loaded safety room as a freshman, Hillman saw the field last year and contributed on special teams.

Hillman is a freak athlete with speed and toughness. He played quarterback and DB in high school. Easily the closest comp to Sabb, Hillman's versatility gives him a chance to earn some serious reps in 2024. He can play safety, corner, nickel, or even line up like a Viper LB.

I think Hillman was underrated by recruiting services because they didn't know what he was. With him playing QB one week, then RB, then primarily starring on defense, it was tough to peg him down. Hillman is the EXACT kind of player this defense thrives on, and there is no reason to think he couldn't have a sophomore breakout season similar to Sabb in 2023.

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