Teammates detail Amorion Walker’s development, rare skillset at cornerback

Michigan has a versatile athlete in Amorion Walker, someone who may ultimately play on both sides of the ball this fall.

Walker is taking the majority of his reps at cornerback this spring, and there’s even a chance he could be one of Michigan’s starting corners.

There’s a lot of time between now and Michigan’s first game, and right now it’s all about picking up the playbook and fine-tuning his technique as a corner.

Receiver Roman Wilson called Walker really raw but close to getting his technique down.

Mike Sainristil, who made the transition from wideout to nickelback last season sees the potential Walker brings to the defensive side and said he’s doing good, but “still learning the playbook”.

Sainristil’s been in Walker’s shoes, and as a veteran and leader on the team, Sainristil wants to help Walker in every way possible.

“He might not pick up on it as fast as I did or as fast as coaches might want him to right now. Which is okay, he has time and I’ll make sure I help him as best as I can because I know how it feels to switch from offense to defense,” Sainristil explained on Thursday. “I know that there can be thoughts of ‘this might be too hard, I just want to go back to offense’, so I’m gonna make sure I take him under my wing and help him as much as I can.”

Last month head coach Jim Harbaugh said there was no doubt in his mind that Walker would excel and thrive both at the wide receiver position and as a defensive back. Harbaugh mentioned Walker’s athletic ability, speed, length, and the change of direction for a guy 6-3 is rare.

“Once he gets that position locked down because I really feel like he will, eventually he’ll become a two-way player,” Harbaugh said. “Because he can also be a tremendous player as a receiver and score touchdowns.”

Sainristil’s comments on Thursday go hand-in-hand with Harbaugh’s analysis. Rare. Tall. Lengthy. Fast.

“He has gifts that a lot of people don’t. He’s 6-3, he moves like he’s 5-10, he plays like he’s 225. He’s tall, he’s lengthy, he runs a 4.2, 4.3. His skill set is rare and he breaks very well on routes. He’s physical, he’s fast, and once he fully gets a grasp of the playbook he’s gonna have a big impact on the defense.”

Walker has been one of the most talked about Michigan players this offseason, and for good reason. His physical attributes are top-tier, now it’s all about elevating his football acumen on defense and becoming a trusted member of the secondary.