Name: Aamir Hall
Height: 6’1"
Weight: 201 lbs.
High school: Baltimore (MD) Mt. St. Joseph
Position: Cornerback
Class: Fifth year senior
Jersey number: #12
Last year: Hall played at Albany. He made 63 tackles, 5 interceptions, and 15 pass breakups.
TTB Rating: N/A
Michigan suffered a lot of attrition from the defensive backfield following the 2023 football season. Along with losing Mike Sainristil and Josh Wallace to the NFL, Cam Calhoun (Utah) and D.J. Waller (Kentucky) transferred. And that doesn't even bring into account the safety position. Waller probably would have been the #3 guy in 2024 and possibly would have had a chance to beat out Jyaire Hill for the #2 spot. So the Wolverines coaching staff went into the portal to get Ricky Johnson from UNLV and Hall from Albany.
Hall was a standout at Albany last year and was named an FCS All-American. Albany has a history of sending decent transfers up to the FBS level, including Florida State defensive end Jared Verse, who was picked in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Hall probably won't be a first round pick in 2025, but he appears to be a worthwhile addition. Word out of camp is that Hill will be CB2 this fall, and Hall appears to be the next guy in. That means Hall will still play quite a bit this fall. Keshaun Harris got the third-most outside corner snaps for Michigan in 2023, and that amounted to 158 snaps.
Based on what I've seen of Hall from Albany, he's an aggressive corner with good size. I don't think he's going to be intimidated by the move up to FCS, and physically he seems like he's going to hold up well. His athleticism seems adequate, too. The biggest thing is going to be how he adjusts to Michigan's defense, disguising coverages, etc., and that's difficult to predict based on past film. Again, the word out of camp is that he's hit the ground running and should be ready to roll as the third corner against Fresno State.
Prediction: Backup cornerback
I think what's happening with Hall is what we WANTED to happen to Wallace last year. But the freshman (Hill and Waller) just weren't ready. Waller is gone (I think he was clearly ahead of Hill last year and would have started opposite Johnson had he stayed) but Hill (we hope) seems ready to step in now.
ReplyDeleteI'll take the over on 158 snaps for CB3 though. Mike Sainristil played a good bit of CB (sliding over from nickel) last year, when outside corner depth was extremely limited. In 2022, Michigan had 3 CBs playing over 400 snaps (Johnson, Green, and Turner). Similar in 2021 (Gray, Green, and Turner). Typical norm is to have 3 guys rotating and sharing snaps among #2/#3 pretty evenly.
I'd expect Hall to play over 400 snaps. Especially since there are likely going to be some teaching moments for Hill and (if they are smart) they will try to protect Will Johnson by not using him too much in low leverage situations.
As the season progresses Hall should get more comfortable in the defense and I expect he'll be out there for at least 20-30 snaps against OSU. (For context, CB3 in 2022 - Gemon Green - played 11 against OSU but 48 against TCU in 2022).