Charles Woodson offers strong endorsement of young Michigan corner

It's true that Michigan lost some valuable assets to its secondary, but Kyle Whittingham and Co. brought back key players and landed Utah star CB Smith Snowden out of the transfer portal. The Wolverines were able to get back both Zeke Berry and Jordan Young, who both entered the transfer portal originally. Add in Jyaire Hill and Rod Moore, and Michigan has a strong starting unit.

However, there is one name that Michigan retained, who could become the Wolverines' next great cornerback. Michigan was able to get back CB Shamari Earls for his sophomore season, and Earls' potential is through the roof.

In fact, so much that the great Charles Woodson even said Earls 'can be the best in the country'.

Can be the best in the country
Goblue https://t.co/zZlrSEFkA2
— Charles Woodson (@CharlesWoodson) January 16, 2026

Earls' freshman struggles

Michigan CB Shamari Earls — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The high four-star prospect was supposed to become an instant-playmaker in the Michigan secondary in 2025, but a pre-game injury suffered in Week 1 held Earls back for the first couple of games. He ended up making his Wolverines' debut in Week 3 against Central Michigan, but Earls never saw more than just rotational snaps.

According to Pro Football Focus, Earls played in five regular-season games, along with Michigan's bowl game against Texas. Earls played in 72 defensive snaps for the Wolverines and saw a season-high 14 snaps against Washington.

Per PFF, Earls had some struggles in coverage when he did play. The 6-foot-2 CB had lower than a 50 coverage grade twice this season in the limited action he saw. His best performance came against Central Michigan, in which he earned a 70.1 coverage grade.

Loaded with potential

While there is going to be a learning curve from high school to college, Earls got a chance to get his feet wet and really earn his place in 2026. Michigan lost Elijah Dotson, TJ Metcalf, Brandyn Hillman, and Jayden Sanders, among others.

The former No. 88 ranked prospect will be counted on to make a big sophomore leap this season. Wearing the famous No. 2 jersey, Earls has the tools to become the next great Michigan CB. He has an ideal blend of size and speed, and someone who should be able to lock down the opposition's go-to target with time.

While Earls might not start Game 1 for Michigan, expect to see a lot of No. 2 this season in the maize and blue.

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