DONE DEAL: Wolverines Land Five Talented Mega-Star Quarterback.
Albany transfer Aamir Hall has committed to Michigan football, he announced shortly after visiting the Wolverines. The news gives U-M valuable cornerback depth to bolster what should remain one of the best defenses in college football.
247Sports first reported news of Hall’s visit to Michigan on May 15. He gave his pledge to U-M’s staff shortly after that trip.
“Former Albany cornerback Aamir Hall, a 2023 FCS All-American, is visiting Michigan,” 247Sports’ Matt Benitz reported on Wednesday. “The 6-foot-1 Hall had five interceptions and 15 pass breakups last season.”
Though an up-transfer from the FCS Albany Great Danes to Michigan will represent a significant increase in competition level, U-M has had recent success with selective pickups from the Portal. Last season, the Wolverines got a summer commitment from UMass transfer Josh Wallace, and he was critical during the national championship run; Wallace emerged as a potential NFL Draft candidate and signed as a UDFA with the Los Angeles Rams.
Hall, from Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, originally played at Richmond before transferring to Albany prior to the 2023 season. He appeared in four games during a short spring season with the Spiders in 2021, tallying 18 tackles and two pass breakups. That fall, Hall recorded 10 passes defended and an interception during his 11 starts.
As a sophomore in 2022, Hall played in nine games and recorded 28 tackles, included 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, an interception and three pass breakups.
He entered the Transfer Portal in December 2022 and committed to UAlbany, where he performed at an FCS All-American level. One of his highlights was this pick six, which saw him drag the quarterback 25-plus yards on his way to the end zone.
Landing Hall is a valuable addition for a Michigan defense that has seen its secondary depleted via NFL departures, Transfer Portal exits and injuries.
The Wolverines entered the offseason with four high-level starters in Will Johnson, Rod Moore, Makari Paige and Keon Sabb, and a group of promising underclassmen including DJ Waller. But Moore suffered a knee injury that will sideline him for — at best — the majority of the 2024 season, Sabb transferred to Alabama, and Waller left for Kentucky, meaning Michigan has kept its eye on the Transfer Portal for options.
U-M got stronger with Hall’s commitment, and he should have an opportunity to compete for meaningful playing time with the defending national champions. And the Wolverines are not yet done in the Transfer Portal, as The Michigan Insider’s Sam Webb reported Thursday afternoon.
As April got underway, the Michigan softball team faced a crossroads.
The Wolverines, viewing the season as one of redemption after snapping a 29-year NCAA Tournament streak last spring, weren’t getting where they needed to go. The Wolverines had shown flashes, including two wins against a top-10 Florida program and a sweep of an Indiana team that would go on to make the NCAA Tournament, but sat at 24-14 on the season, and had just been swept by Northwestern. Michigan had lost eight games to top-50 RPI opponents, including surprises losses to Northern Kentucky, Long Beach State, Sacramento State and Cal State-Fullerton.
The NCAA Tournament was within reach, but Tholl, who was an assistant coach for the duration of Michigan’s 29 straight tournament appearances, could sense that her team was still lacking consistency.
“There was a point early in the season when I felt that we were underachieving in some areas,” Tholl said this week, looking back. “It’s not a popular thing to do to make changes, to be the leader and voice opinions and set a different course for your team. But going back to what Hutch said, ‘they’re not going to change unless you change something.’
“We were on a good path. We weren’t on a great path.”
Not every game was smooth sailing. There were blowouts, but also comeback wins, extra-inning victories, pitchers’ duels and shootouts. But now back in the NCAA Tournament after going 17-2 down the stretch, Michigan feels each of those victories has taught a young team how to win on a consistent basis.
