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Michigan safety Makari Paige signing with New York Giants

Chris Balasby:Chris Balas•04/26/25•

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Michigan Wolverines football safety Makari Paige laid a huge hit on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard on third down. (Photo by Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Michigan Wolverines football safety Makari Paige laid a huge hit on Ohio State quarterback Will Howard on third down. (Photo by Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan has gotten great safety play over the last several years, and Makari Paige has been a big part of it. The game he put on film at Ohio State this year was perhaps his best in the winged helmet, and many believe it boosted his NFL Draft stock.

Paige was projected to go anywhere from day two to undrafted free agent … he eventually signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent, per Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports.

Paige was one of the veterans who helped turn the program around in his five years at Michigan, a captain last season who led the Wolverines to a fourth straight win over the Buckeyes. It was bleak in his first year, he recalled, but they had a group of players who were ready to get the program back where it was supposed to be.

“I feel like my first year there were a lot of guys … it was during COVID though, so you’ve got to (consider that), but there were a lot of guys complaining,” Paige recalled last fall. “They didn’t really want to work hard, and after that year, a switch just flipped. I guess people were tired of losing. That year (2020) was bad for us, so that’s when it changed.”

Paige was a big part of it.  In 53 games, he notched 135 tackles (two for loss), 1 sack, 3 interceptions, and 8 pass break-ups. One of those picks came against the Buckeyes with OSU deep in Michigan territory, and his big hit on Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard early in the game set the tone for a defensive gem in a 13-10 Michigan upset win.

Paige would finish his career 4-0 against the Buckeyes and with total wins to his name. He captured three Big Ten titles and a National Championship, of course, starting 30 games in the secondary, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in both 2022 and 2023.

He’ll also forever be known as a Michigan captain.

“It’s a great honor, being a Michigan man,” Paige said at Big Ten Media Day last year. “It’s one of the greatest honors you can get coming here, and it’s very important to look like that.”

Now he’s ready to embark on his new chapter.

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