Amorion Walker is following the Will Johnson path at Michigan, but he has competition 

Michigan sophomore Amorion Walker has opened eyes with his play at cornerback, even though he’s still learning the position after moving over from receiver. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter has high hopes for him, he admitted during the last week of spring ball, but there are others vying for the spot, too. 

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said after two spring practices he felt Walker could be the guy on the other side of sophomore Will Johnson, who figures to be one of the Big Ten’s best cover corners this year. Minter plans to bring him along just like he did last Johnson last year. 

“His skillset is tremendous,” Minter said. “You’re talking about a guy who is 6-3. Most times even in the NFL you see a 6-3 corner and you’re like, ‘okay — what trait is lacking?’ He might be not as quick as the smaller guys, might be not as speedy, but he is really, really fast. He has really good feet. He’s a little unique in that sense. Not to put a crazy, crazy expectation on him, but he has the skillset to play the position. He has the traits to play the position.

“I think coach Clink [Steve Clinkscale] is doing a tremendous job with him this spring, trying to further his development. It’s going to come down to a guy … he’s going to play early in the season, just like Will last year. He’s probably going to have some ups and downs, and it’s going to be our ability to have him playing his best when the best is needed toward the middle, end of the season.”

Johnson followed the Charles Woodson trajectory of getting better each game, to the point that he shined when it mattered most. It just took a bit of time for the technique, etc., to catch up with the athleticism.

It takes a special guy to do it, Minter continued. 

“It works if you have the right skillset and the right mindset,” the Michigan D.C. added. “Then if you have a head coach that’s actually willing to try that, because most kids you recruit, they say, ‘oh yeah — so and so says I can play both ways at his school.’ And nobody plays both ways, so it’s all a lie. Jim Harbaugh actually plays guys both ways or gives guys the opportunity to figure out what’s the best position for recruited guys to be a really good player. Is he a skill player? Is he a receiver? Is he a DB?

“He’s a skill player. He could possibly play either side of the ball. During the fall, we did some stuff with Amorion in practice to sort of see what it would look like. We liked what we saw. We certainly had some older guys that were playing above him at the time.”

It comes down to a guy with the right skillset and mindset, Minter noted. It requires patience as a coach, too.

“But he’s one of the team’s best athletes, so he needs to play somewhere,” Minter said. “We’re fortunate that right now it’s at the corner position.”

Several others competing to be the “other” Michigan corner

But others will have a say. It wouldn’t surprise, at all, to see nickel Mike Sainristil see more time there, moving junior safety Rod Moore up to that nickel spot. Ja’Den McBurrows is playing well coming off the knee injury that sidelined him last year and could also make an impact. 

“Ja’Den is a guy competing — there’s some playing time available in the secondary so he’s a candidate for that, and he’s had a good, productive spring,” Minter said. “He can play multiple positions.  He can play outside; he can play inside in the slot. 

“I’ve just been excited to see him progress. I heard a lot about him his freshman year … ‘Hey, this guy has a knack, and he’s a ballplayer.’ Everything that I heard from an instinctive player has shown up. I think any time you’re coming off an injury, it’s still about regaining 100 percent confidence in your body and your ability to do all the things that you’ve always been able to do. Certainly, our training staff and strength staff do an unbelievable job getting those guys back. I’m excited to see where he’s at.”

A lot of other young players are getting their shot, too. 

“Myles Pollard, Jyaire Hill, Cameron Calhoun, Keshaun Harris … all those guys have had really bright moments,” Minter said. “We’ve moved Mikey around a lot so we’re trying to do different things with him. 

“It’s a really good group with a lot of inexperience, but talented players. Look at DJ Turner. DJ didn’t play a meaningful snap here for two years. Mike Morris didn’t. It’s these guys’ turn to go into that second year and third year and put themselves in position to make plays. I’m excited about the group overall.”

Which means Michigan fans should be, too.