Michigan fall camp: CB Jyaire Hill 'more locked in,' OL Andrew Sprague 'gonna be a problem'

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan Wolverines football has an adage: the best players will play. How do you know who the best players are, the coaches ask? They play the best, and their teammates always know who they are.

Graduate EDGE TJ Guy has been standing out but also observing the rest of the Wolverines during fall camp, and he identified one player on each side of the ball that has caught his eye.

On defense, he pointed out junior cornerback Jyaire Hill, who’s a returning starter but had an up-and-down 2024 campaign. The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder made 35 tackles with 5.5 for loss and 1 sack, adding 9 pass breakups and an incredible interception that came against Minnesota.

But at the end of the year, Hill was seemingly in the dog house. After averaging 59.4 defensive snaps per game in the first nine outings, he didn’t appear at all in the Oregon game. Then, he logged 6 snaps versus Northwestern and a total of 57 defensive plays in the final two games, wins over Ohio State and Alabama.

His playing time and even his jersey number changed, with the staff switching him from No. 20 to No. 35 for the end of the regular season. Head coach Sherrone Moore didn’t comment on the situation but said it was something being handled “internally.”

Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said this week that Michigan’s “lack of depth at cornerback is a “lack of depth at corner” is a question mark. But if Hill and senior Zeke Berry can emerge as a reliable starting duo and stay healthy on the outside, the Wolverines could have a high-level secondary once again.

“‘Suga’ Hill,” Guy said of the Michigan defender who’s stood out the most. H”e looks way more locked in. He’s making plays out there. He’s gonna be a different guy this year, for sure.”

The defensive line and secondary work in concert, considering pressure on the quarterback helps coverage and staying blanketed on receivers down the field gives the front time to get home.

“That’s a two-way street,” Guy noted. “Good coverage leads to sacks, and sacks lead to short plays for the DBs. You gotta work with each other the whole time, the whole season.

“We got a deep room back there, too, for real. A lot of guys trying different things to help the room out and things like that. We’re really deep, really talented.”

The Michigan player on offense that Guy mentioned is sophomore right tackle Andrew Sprague, who redshirted as a freshman in 2024. Battling with freshman Ty Haywood and others for the starting job, Sprague has a leg up in the competition because he broke out with a solid performance against Alabama to conclude last season, notching his first career start in a victory.

“On offense, I’m gonna go with a lineman, Andrew Sprague,” Guy said. “I think he’s gonna be a problem, for real.”

While he’s still young, Sprague has made life tough for edge rushers going against him during Michigan’s practices.

“He’s big as hell,” Guy said. “Kinda makes everything look the same, I feel like. He’s a great player. I feel like him getting thrown into the fire versus ‘Bama was good for him, just to boost his career.”

Looking the same, Guy added, means he doesn’t have many tells as to what the play is going to be, keeping defenders guessing.

“You can’t steal plays too much,” he said, noting that formation recognition and tendencies are things Michigan defenders study profusely.

Another Michigan offensive lineman that has impressed Guy in the early going is junior Nathan Efobi, who came out of spring ball as the projected starter at right guard.

“I would say Nate Efobi also stuck out to me, really improved, changed his body,” Guy said. “He looks more comfortable out there in the system.”

Freshman Andrew Babalola, a 6-foot-6, 315-pounder, has also been a force since arriving in January. Guy put him in the same bucket as any other lineman, regardless of age.

“I’m gonna treat him like a regular tackle and not gonna think about how old he is or anything like that, but he’s standing out,” the Michigan EDGE explained. “He’s a great player [with] great traits. He’s a hard worker, head down.”