ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Six years ago, fans were clamoring for Michigan football to switch from primarily man coverage to zone, as Don Brown's defense left wide open swaths of the field. Then, Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter came in, and completely overhauled the Wolverine defense, making it one of the best in the country.
Now Jay Hill is overseeing the maize and blue defensive attack, and though the defense is similar in many, many ways to Macdonald and Hill, he tends to run a lot more man coverage than zone. And it's something that sophomore cornerback Shamari Earls particularly loves.
"Honestly, I like it," Earls said. "I'm more of getting hands on, getting in guys' grills. Zone, I can do anything you need me to in zone, man, but I prefer man.
Just get hands on guys, be in their face, and just run and cover them."
The stats bear out that Earls is having a better time in man coverage.
Last year, playing under Wink Martindale, Earls had 72 total snaps and earned a 55.5 coverage grade on PFF. Through two games this year under Hill, Earls has exactly half that amount of snaps at 36, but his coverage grade has improved greatly, up to 69.1. And his coverage grade improved from Week 1 to Week 2, going up from 63.6 against Western Michigan to 68.7 against Oklahoma.
And getting to partake in games like he got to be in on Saturday against the Sooners is precisely the type of matchup that Earls relishes.
"Oh, most definitely. I wake up with a smile; puts a smile on my face," Earls said. "I get to go against the best in the country and really, like, I'm blessed. I'm playing in front of a bunch of fans on the big stage. I get to go against the best in the country and just get better, honestly, prove who's better."
Earls says there are three receivers he has circled that he cannot wait to get a chance to cover: Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith, Oregon wideout Evan Stewart, and Indiana (former MSU) receiver Nick Marsh.
He pays some attention to what they're doing throughout the year, but like any Michigan football player, he's more honed into the task at hand any given week.
"I try to take it one week at a time," Earls said. "I'll check them out, you know, always doing my film study. But I try to take it one week at a time and focus on the opponent in front of me."
Earls was spoken of as a fourth starter in the defensive backfield, but his snap count hasn't quite gotten there just yet. Jyaire Hill and Smith Snowden both have 120 or more snaps, though Zeke Berry has 63, according to PFF. Thus far, Earls is the only other corner who has seen the field through two games for the Wolverines.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Shamari Earls thriving in Jay Hill's new Michigan defensive system
