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Michigan football might be the winningest program in college football, with more wins than any other program, but it still prides itself on being developmental — despite the brand name. That often means that it isn’t necessarily the star players that come in as recruits that end up being the big names for the Wolverines — it’s often those who are somewhat under the radar.
That’s not saying that high-end players haven’t achieved in Ann Arbor — of course, they have. We’ve seen five-stars thrive, players like Daxton Hill and Will Johnson. We’ve also seen the counted-out three-stars become top-level players in their own right, like Josh Metellus and Mike Sainristil. But there are some four-stars who don’t get as much love as their ranking.
When it comes to this upcoming Michigan football team, ESPN is giving some love to a four-star who had a shaky start last year, but a strong finish.
Zeke Berry got his first real opportunity in 2023 when he started in Week 1 at safety with both Makari Paige and Rod Moore sidelined with injury. He mostly was in reserve status but ended up starting right out of the gates at nickel in 2024. And it looked great to start — he even got an interception on the first drive in the season opener against Fresno State.
However, he struggled by Week 4 and appeared to be doomed at the position. But then the Michigan coaching staff made an underrated move: Berry moved outside to the boundary while safety Makari Paige moved up to nickel.
Paige is gone, but Berry returns for his senior year. And ESPN says that he might be the Wolverines’ underrated, sleeper pick to have a strong season this upcoming year.
From Mike Sainristil to Will Johnson, Michigan’s dominant defenses in recent years have featured a big-time cornerback. Berry is primed to become the next one, on the heels of a breakout junior season. After starting the year at nickelback, Berry slid to the outside following an injury to Johnson and thrived. Berry finished the year with 37 tackles and a team-high 11 pass breakups. He also forced a fumble to go along with his two interceptions. If Berry can take another step forward as the leader of the Michigan secondary, he quietly figures to be one of the top corners in the Big Ten — if not the country.
Berry is expected to start at corner opposite Jyaire Hill, who is getting some offseason publicity. The question is more so, who is behind them?
Second-year corner Jo’Ziah Edmond and true freshmen Shamari Earls are strong candidates to be in rotation, but beyond them, there are some questions at corner. All the more reason why Berry needs to step up.
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