Mike Sainristil Is The Best Nickel In The Country
What a career it has been for Mike Sainristil. His time at Michigan has been legendary as a two-time captain and good wide receiver turned great defensive back. He had one of the biggest plays against Ohio State in The Shoe when he tipped a definite touchdown away from sure-handed tight end Cade Stover and has routinely made plays by always being in the right place at the right time. Because of that, it's not a surprise that he's literally the best slot cover man in the country per Pro Football Focus.
Sainristil has played a whopping 381 snaps for Michigan this year, second to only Junior Colson's 392, and has consistently graded out as one of the most consistent players on Jesse Minter's No. 1 ranked defense. Sainristil has spent a huge majority of his time in the slot, but over the last two games he's logged 30 snaps as the wide cornerback, which is just another feather in his cap as one of the most intelligent and versatile players in the country.
Through 10 games, Sainristil has 22 tackles, including three for loss and a sack, and he's also picked off three passes, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He has defended four other passes and always seems to be around the ball. Whether it's an outside run or a power run up the middle, a deep ball or a quick out, you'll almost always see No. 0 in the frame. Throw in the fact that Sainristil is one of the smartest, most disciplined players on the team in the meeting room, weight room and practice field and you fully understand why he's been a captain twice. Overall, Sainristil is one of the most valuable players on the team and everyone staff member would tell you the same thing.
"Mike is an influencer," Michigan cornerbacks coach Steve Clinkscale said about Sainristil earlier this year. "I think Mike has changed the mindset of everybody on our team, not just the defensive backs. If I was a player I would be right there next to him. He's a great guy to be around. I love that kid. I love all our players, but he's a special young man.
"We watched film last week, and watched the guy play man defense and make a great play. Guess who it was? Number zero. We watched him destroy a block. Guess who it was? Number zero. He never stops. He's always going and going and going and if he makes a mistake, the great ones, they correct it."
Sainristil does it all and there's tons of evidence to support that. Whether it's the Michigan coaches, his teammates or a grade from PFF, Sainristil is getting it done.
