Sainristil Lists U-M's 5 Fastest WRs, Before Revealing Who Tops The List
There seems to be at least one breakout player every year in spring ball who captivates the attention of fans and earns plenty of preseason hype, with Michigan Wolverines football wideout Mike Sainristil earning that title prior to last season.
The hype didn’t exactly come to fruition, however, with Sainristil reeling in just eight catches for 145 yards and a touchdown as a freshman.
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Ready or not, the Everett, Mass., native will be stepping into a significant role in Michigan’s offense this fall, thanks to the attrition the club suffered at the position in the forms of transfer Tarik Black and early NFL entrants Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins.
“You start off your freshman year the same way as when you were first going into high school,” Sainristil explained to the media this afternoon on a zoom call. “You ask yourself where you fit in amongst the group of older guys and what your role will be.
"It takes some people more time than others to really understand what you’re getting into. I had a good spring ball last season and things picked up once fall camp started — I got into a pace I wasn’t used to.
"That’s when I started asking what I could do to help the team get better, whether it was being around guys or serving as an energy booster … anything I could do to help. Whenever my number was called, I always made sure I was ready to take advantage of the opportunity.
"Year two is when you really get your chance to show who you are, and that’s something I can’t wait to do. It’s cool to see where you are on the depth chart, but nothing is set in stone until the first snap of game one.
"It’s important not to get complacent and to keep working.”
At 5-10, 183 pounds, Sainristil fits the mold of what offensive coordinator Josh Gattis wants in his receivers — fast, athletic players who he can get the ball to in space. The Wolverines were clever at times with Sainristil in 2019, often putting him in motion and even lining him up in the backfield every now and then.
“I’m very positive and I like to bring the best out of those around me, whether it be in the weight room, off the field or on it,” he explained today when asked what he views his role as.
“I like to be an energizer bunny. Even on the defensive side of the ball, some of our corners ask me what I see in their game that they can work on. I ask them what I can do to beat press coverage or how to determine an off-man.
"I just enjoy bringing the best out of those around me.”
With Collins’ early departure to the NFL, Michigan is set to have just one scholarship receiver on its roster this season who stands taller than 6-0 — sophomore Cornelius Johnson (at 6-3).
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Wolverines won’t be able to take shots downfield with their smaller targets, however.
“It could be any of us [who catch passes deep downfield],” he said. “We’re doing a great job learning how to create separation. That comes from small details and techniques that Coach Gattis works on — leaning in on guys at the top of your route, creating shoulder separation, nudging off guys, etc.
“It’s small things like that and can go unnoticed, but it works out if you do it the right way. It would be great to have the size [Collins provides] back, but we have guys who are fundamentally sound so it evens out.”
Throwing the ball deep downfield is one of the attributes redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton possesses. In fact, he has confirmed to have thrown the ball 80 yards in the air before, with 70-yarders seemingly becoming a normality in practice.
“He threw me a post route yesterday in practice and the first thing I told myself was ‘Joe is in, so keep running because the ball isn’t going to land short,’” Sainristil laughed. “As I was tracking the ball, I noticed it was the highest ball I’d ever seen thrown.
"It was in the air hanging and I asked myself when and where it was going to drop. I kept my head down and continued to run. The ball can be tough to track when it’s that high because you don’t know when it will land.
“Coach Gattis tells us to keep running and not to expect the ball to land soon if No. 5 is in the game.”
Fortunately for the Maize and Blue, they have the speed in place at wideout to catch up to Milton’s rockets downfield. In fact, Sainristil not only revealed the five fastest wideouts on the team this afternoon, but also he thinks is the fastest — with the answer potentially surprising some people.
“The top five for sure are me, [freshman] Roman [Wilson], [freshman] A.J. [Henning], [sophomore] Giles [Jackson] and I’d put [junior] Ronnie [Bell] in there as well,” the sophomore laughed.
“I think Roman will come out with [the title of fastest receiver]. That guy flies. The freshmen really help us in the receiver room, in terms of depth. It adds two more fast guys who can make plays.
"They’re unselfish players as well — that’s the type of people we need in that room; guys who will do their part, and put it out there for those around them.”
Notes
• Though he's not expected to return to Michigan in 2020, Collins has not yet himself said what his official future plans are. Sainristil was asked today if he has spoken with his former position-mate about potentially returning to the team.
“I texted him once and asked if the rule of opting back in changes anything," the sophomore revealed. "He said he was unsure. I’ll wish him well in whatever he does. Nico is a good guy.
"If he sticks with the NFL, then I’ll wish him the best. If he comes back, I’ll be right there with him.”
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