After Rod Moore’s injury, Makari Paige leads the Michigan Safeties into the 2024 season

With just one week left until Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis, excitement is building for the 2024 college football season. Fall camps across the country are upon us, and there are now less than 50 days until Michigan football’s season opener against Fresno State on August 31.

After arguably the best season in program history, the Wolverines bring another full roster into 2024 with “Team 145.” In preparation for next year, it’s a good time to break down each of the Wolverines’ position groups with “One thing I like”, “One thing I don’t do” And “One thing to keep an eye on”. The last defensive position is one that lost an All-Big Ten player to injury and received reinforcements from the transfer portal — Security

The Wolverines have had outstanding performances from their safeties in recent seasons, and Redshirt Senior Paige, Makari is back and ready to lead this position group once again. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound player is one of the last remaining players who was a part of Michigan’s disastrous 2020 season. That was Paige’s first season, and he saw the Wolverines rise from rock bottom to last year’s national championship. Paige played his way into the starting lineup in 2022 and put together two excellent seasons, totaling 81 tackles, five pass defenses, and one interception over the last two years. Paige could have moved on to the NFL after last season, but decided to return to Ann Arbor. This is a huge win for Michigan’s secondary.

This is pretty simple – I hate the fact that we won’t see Rod Moore for at least the majority of the 2024 season. The rising senior suffered a torn ACL during Michigan’s spring practice in March and underwent successful surgery in late April. The injury will likely sideline Moore for the entire season, but with quick healing, the senior could return by the end of the year.

Regardless, losing Moore is a significant loss for the Wolverines. Michigan likely wouldn’t have signed the two safeties out of the transfer portal this spring if Moore hadn’t been injured (more on that later), but we’d still rather have him healthy and ready to play in 2024. It was Moore who had the game-winning interception against Ohio State last season, and he’s been a mainstay of the Wolverines’ defense the past two seasons. Whether it’s late 2024 or we have to wait until 2025, we’re excited to see him back on the field with the Maize and Blue

Michigan signed two safeties from the transfer portal in the offseason, likely in response to Moore’s injury. The Wolverines are bringing in the former Tennessee starter Wesley Walkerwho is expected to fill the void left by Moore at the strong safety position. In his last two seasons with the Volunteers, Walker recorded 89 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, seven pass defenses, one interception and one forced fumble. He is a veteran player who should be an immediate contributor in Ann Arbor.

After signing Walker, Michigan was also able to add a transfer from rival Michigan State, adding Safety Jaden Mangham. At 6’2″ and 195 pounds, Mangham has a similar build to Paige and their playing styles are similar. The most likely scenario for 2024 is that Mangham will be Paige’s backup this season, though the rising junior will likely be part of a rotation at back. In two seasons at MSU, Mangham recorded 73 tackles, one tackle for loss, four interceptions, seven pass breakups and one fumble recovery.

This article is part of a series that examines each position group on Michigan Football’s 2024 roster. You can find the other position groups that Michigan Wolverines on SI has already been discussed here: (quarterback, Back Race, Offensive line, Close finish, Defence line, Edge striker, Linebackers, Cornerbacks)