Michigan football freshman defender is making a name for himself

If you root for the Maize and Blue, familiarize yourself with Michigan football freshman defender DJ Waller, a cornerback for the Wolverines. While Waller is yet to have a breakout game like other freshmen — such as wide receiver Semaj Morgan — he has been making a name for himself so far. Here is what Jim Harbaugh had to say about the standout rookie earlier today.

This Michigan football freshman defender is making a name for himself

Today, ahead of this weekend’s road trip to Nebraska — the team’s first away game of the year — Jim Harbaugh addressed a number of aspects of his Michigan football program. One thing that he went in-depth on was the progression of freshman defender DJ Waller, a cornerback from the 2023 signing class who has been standing out quite a bit so far.

“Yeah, he’s been a freshman that has really been doing well. And you see tremendous upside. I mean, he’s already been freshmen of the game at least once, maybe twice. Length, you know, physicality, speed, athleticism. All the good traits. And he likes football too. So, he’s getting coached really well, getting really great training from Coach Clink (defensive backs coach Steve Clinksdale). And yeah, long corners, athletic, length, it’s really good for the position.

“I think my first impression was, ‘Is he (DJ Waller) an edge? He might be an edge guy.’ He just looked big to me, and tall,” Jim Harbaugh continued, still talking about the Michigan football freshman defender. “I like long athletic — as everybody does — edge players, but yeah, we saw the basketball traits and things. Then, wow, that’s a great thing. And you see that length sometimes in receivers and in DBs. Could be edge players, could be really good receivers, could be really good DBs. Length is a good thing. Length and athleticism. Those are blessings from Mom, Dad, and God.”

DJ Waller has been impressive through four games of his true freshman season

To this point in the 2023 season, DJ Waller has recorded a few tackles and seen plenty of snaps in all four of the Wolverines’ matchups. He has registered five tackles thus far, earning Defensive Freshman of the Week (team) honors against UNLV and Bowling Green.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at Cj@BluebyNinety.com. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!