Today, new Michigan football transfer portal addition Josh Wallace — a cornerback from Umass — addressed the media for the first time during fall camp. Here is all the buzz from Schembechler Hall surrounding one of the Wolverines’ newest transfer signees.
Latest buzz surrounding new Michigan football transfer portal addition
Why Michigan football?
“Really the players on my visit — Mike (Sainristil), Rod (Moore), Quinten (Johnson), Makari (Paige), they’re all out at dinner and they kind of convinced me to come here,” Josh Wallace said.
Mike Sainristil’s influence
“He was my roommate in the hotel so we were getting here at the same time,” Wallace said. “And since I’ve been here we’ve just been going over the plays together and just getting caught up. (He’s) really like my brother.”
A starting role for Wallace this year?
“It’s still early to tell. We’re all competing and we’ll see by the time game time comes.”
Does he know the defense?
“Yes, I would say probably 100% right now. It’s not really that challenging to me. I kind of pick up on things pretty fast.”
Does his basketball background help on the football field?
“I would say my strengths probably would be press man,” Wallace explained. “That’s what we did over at UMass. And yeah, the basketball side of it helps a lot because in basketball you got to stop something from going to the basket.”
Environments he has played in so far
“Army from freshman year, and then it’s really a toss up between (Texas) A&M and Florida State,” Josh Wallace said when asked about the craziest environments he has played in thus far. “There’s going to be a different. I played Rutgers my freshman year but, that counts…”
Biggest difference in transferring to Michigan football?
“People are held more accountable here. That’s really the biggest difference … Just little things in the locker room — someone leaves a towel, just getting on the player for that, stuff like that.”
Is he fitting in with the team since hitting the transfer portal?
“Oh, yeah, most definitely. That was my little phase I had, I’m not gonna lie. I’d watch TV and be like, ‘Oh, you guys play at night this game.’ That’s done now. I’m part of the team.”
Competition changes from UMass to Michigan football
“I use it (as motivation) little bit, but at the end of the day I just feel like it’s football. So it shouldn’t matter if someone’s at a bigger school or not because people are in the NFL that are undrafted that come from smaller schools — D1, D2 — I just feel like that doesn’t really matter … It’s most definitely (different) in practice. But it’s still football. Just have to go in with your head down ready to work.”
Are the Wolverines’ freshman wideouts performing well?
“Oh yeah, they can do it all. I have no doubt in the freshmen because they can do it all — block, run routes, catch — they’re gonna be really good in the future.”
What about Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson?
“Oh yeah, they’re (Wilson and Johnson) sharpening my iron every day. It’s always a healthy battle between us.”
What is working? Josh Wallace on the outside, Mike Sainristil on the inside?
“I feel like it’s been great. No complaints at all … I will just say that the communication part is a lot better when us two (Wallace and Sainristil) are out there on the same side.”
What is it like playing for Steve Clincksdale?
“It’s great. He’s gonna be on you every single play. You could be lined up wrong, he’s gonna be yelling at you from the sidelines. It’s a lot of fun and I’m learning a lot so that’s really what I came here for.”
Josh Wallace and Hunter Dickinson are friends
“I just talked to him last week,” Wallace said of former Michigan basketball star Hunter Dickinson, who has since transferred to Kansas. “That’s my guy.”
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