Ranking the top five Michigan football cornerbacks from the Jim Harbaugh era

Jim Harbaugh was a successful coach at Michigan from 2015-2023 before returning to the NFL. Although Harbaugh is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, Wolverine fans will always remember what Harbaugh did for Michigan and what he did to make the Wolverines a perennial power again.

In 2015, there was another position that always had stars: cornerback. Michigan had so many great cornerbacks under Jim Harbaugh that it was pretty difficult to only come in at number five, but that was my job.

Career stats: 133 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, one sack, six interceptions, one touchdown, 39 pass deflections and one forced fumble

Jourdan Lewis is not only the best cornerback under Jim Harbaugh, but also one of the best at the position in Ann Arbor. His stats and accolades speak for themselves. Lewis was a two-time All-American, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree, and the 2016 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year.

Lewis was a true Michigan man after opting to come back in his senior season, even though he could have gone for the NFL Draft after a great junior season. He could do things others couldn’t – like his interception that beat Wisconsin.

Career statistics: 108 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, three sacks, seven interceptions, two touchdowns, 13 pass deflections and two forced fumbles

Mike Sainristil played for Michigan for five years, but only played cornerback for two seasons. He began his career as a wide receiver before Jim Harbaugh promoted him to the nickelback position. If you were just following Michigan football in 2022, you would have thought Sainristil had been a cornerback his entire life.

In his two years as a cornerback, Sainristil was twice named All-Big Ten, was selected as an All-American in 2023, and finished his career with the shared record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown (2).

Career statistics: 54 tackles, three TFLs, seven interceptions, one touchdown and seven pass deflections

Will Johnson will work his way up this list next year if his junior season goes similarly to his first two. In his two seasons at Michigan, Johnson started 16 games, was named Defensive Freshman of the Year, was an All-Big Ten player and was an All-American last year.

Johnson shut out both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze in 2023 when Michigan faced Ohio State and Washington in the national title game. Johnson, who is entering his junior season, is considered a possible top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Career stats: 57 tackles, seven TFLs, six interceptions, two touchdowns, 23 pass deflections and one fumble recovery

Hill was definitely one of the good guys and it’s hard to rank him that low, but that’s the way it is. Hill stayed at Michigan for four years and picked up some valuable stuff. He was a 2018 All-American, a three-time All-Big Ten selection and finished his career at Michigan ranked sixth in all-time pass breakups.

Hill could have left with teammate David Long after his junior year, but he decided to stay one more season in hopes of doing something big at Michigan. The Wolverines couldn’t pull that off, but Hill still had an incredible career.

Career statistics: 38 tackles, two TFLs, 0.5 sacks, three interceptions and 14 pass deflections

David Long left the team after his junior season and was considered Michigan’s best cornerback during his junior season. While at Michigan, Long was twice named All-Big Ten. He played in 30 games and started 26 of them.

Long was part of that great cornerback duo with Lavert Hill. The Wolverines have had a few great duos, and Long-Hill is one of the better ones.

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