The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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28 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2024 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE G ra d u a te sa fe ty M a ka r i Paige came back for his fifth season at Michigan for one reason and one reason only. "I wanted to be in the new EA Col- lege Football game," Paige said, before laughing. "Nah, I'm playing." Paige could've departed for the NFL Draft and likely been picked, but he felt he had room to grow before taking the next step to the pros. "I just wanted to get better at football, so I felt like this opportunity to come back will help me improve on what I need to improve on," Paige noted. While the EA Sports video game isn't near the top of Paige's priority list, he did say his top attribute would be tackling, at least in his mind. Analytics site Pro Football Focus agrees, as well. He finished second on the team and fifth in the Big Ten last season with an 86.0 tackling rating. The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder has been an integral part of Michigan's defense for years. Totaling 1,150 defensive snaps, he's appeared in 41 games with 20 starts in the sec- ondary, including 13 games a year ago. He ranked fifth on the defense and second among the defensive backfield with 41 tackles, adding 2 pass breakups, 1 quarterback hurry and a key fumble recovery in a 24-15 win at Penn State Nov. 11. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention from the coaches. The goal in 2024 is to take things up a notch, and Paige is working to make it happen. "It's been huge," junior cornerback Will Johnson said of Paige's return for a fifth season. "He's been playing great LOTS OF DRIVE IN YEAR 5 Opportunity To Return And Improve Was Too Good For Makari Paige To Pass Up