Quietly, Michigan Wolverines football sophomore cornerback Jo’Ziah Edmond burned his redshirt in his first season in Ann Arbor, playing in eight games in 2024.
The Indianapolis native recorded 2 tackles, seeing action in four games on defense, logging 38 snaps at cornerback, including a career-high 12 versus Oregon.
When asked what the best individual plays have been so far during Michigan’s fall camp, junior defensive back TJ Metcalf pointed to one by junior wide receiver Semaj Morgan that’s gone viral on social media, and another couple made by Edmond.
“I’d probably say when Semaj caught a one-handed catch,” Metcalf said. “You’ve all seen it.
“Probably that or JoJo catching a pick six. He caught one today. He caught one, I think, last week.”
Senior cornerback Zeke Berry has loved what he’s seen from the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Edmond.
“He’s been stepping up, man,” Berry said Friday of his Michigan teammate. “I’m proud of him. To see where he came in and to see how he is now … he had wise words today [speaking to the team after practice], and I’m proud of what he said. I feel like he’s gonna have a high ceiling. I can’t wait for him to get out there.”
When asked to describe Edmond as a player, Berry said: “It’s kinda difficult [to describe] JoJo. He’s savvy sometimes, but sometimes some people might think he’s goofy but he’s still locked in.”
Junior cornerback Jyaire Hill — a projected starter along with Berry — has also had a recent interception.
“Man, Jyaire’s been doing Jyaire,” Berry said. “He got a pick I think it was last practice. He’s been doing good, so I’m excited for him.
“I think it was just a quick game, and he just sat down on it and picked it.”
Michigan’s depth at cornerback was a question mark that coordinator Wink Martindale identified publicly when speaking with the media last week, but Berry seemed to indicate that competition is high. The California native also said he’s moving around at different positions in the secondary, like most of the team’s defensive backs.
“For me in fall camp, I don’t feel like I really have my spot,” Berry said. “We’re all playing good as a defense, all the DBs. I’m still fearful I’ll get my spot taken, so I’m just coming in each and every day trying to win my spot.”
Freshman cornerback Shamari Earls was one of the highest-rated players in Michigan’s 2025 class, checking in No. 97 in the nation per the Rivals Industry Ranking.
“I like him,” Berry said. “I feel like all the freshmen that are in all have a long ways to go because this stuff is so difficult to pick up for the first time coming out of high school. I like the way he moves, I like the way he plays football. So once he gets that mental aspect, he’ll be right there.”
It’s not easy to pick up Martindale’s defense, but Earls will get there.
“Mentally, I wouldn’t say he’s there yet, but he’s a young guy,” Berry noted. “He’s a freshman; he just came in. To pick up this NFL-style defense, it’s gonna be hard.
“We try to help him each day and make sure he’s good, because we’re gonna need him. We’re gonna need everybody.”
“Shamari has been doing good,” Metcalf added. “He’s just coming in every day trying to get better. If you get a catch on him one play, he’s gonna try his best not to let them get a catch on him the next play. I think if he continues to have that next play mentality, he’s gonna be really good.”
The first young Michigan player Metcalf identified as standing out was a different freshman cornerback, though: 6-foot-1, 193-pound Texan Jayden Sanders, the No. 176 overall player in his recruiting class.
“I really like Jayden Sanders, the corner,” Metcalf explained. “He’s been making a lot of big plays.
“He’s one the freshmen that’s not gonna say too much, but he’s gonna be himself, at the end of the day. He takes in learning in the meeting room. He doesn’t walk around here trying to act like he’s bigger than everybody or stuff like that. I like him. That’s the one that’s really stood out to me.”