Michigan football defense: Transfer that's impressing, expectations for Rod Moore, deep position group

Michigan Wolverines football is expected to have one of the best defensive backfields in the country, due in large part because it returns both cornerbacks but also graduate safety Rod Moore, who’s only played three games the last two years due to a knee injury.

Moore is the star in what is a deep position group.

“My expectation of Rod is to be one of the best safeties in the country,” position coach Tyler Stockton said on the ‘In The Trenches’ podcast. “We’re going to fight day in and day out to make sure he is healthy — which he’s been doing an unbelievable job, he is far in advance right now on where he should be. But I see a guy in Rod that is going to go down at this university as one of the better leaders to ever come here. For Michigan, 1898 was the first Big Ten championship victory, and Rod could be the first three-time captain ever at this university, so that speaks volumes about how much he’s invested into this program.”

The 6-foot-0, 198-pound Moore is one of multiple experienced and talented safeties that will play a role.

“We’re looking for really good football players, and then we’re kind of like a basketball team,” Stockton said. “We’ve got some guys who are like point guard size, who are under 5-10. And then we’ve got a center like [junior] Mason Curtis, who’s 6-5. Every single one of those guys, even though they’re different sizes, have a unique skill set. But really all of those guys can play the free or the strong position, as well, because that’s why they came here to Michigan, because they’re damn good football players.”

The 6-foot-5, 211-pound Curtis posted 34 tackles with 2 pass breakups and 1 interception in 11 games with three starts last season. He went down with an injury against Ohio State, but it was less serious than initially feared.

“I’ve learned that Mason is a football guy,” Stockton explained. “The unique thing about Mason is he came in here and played so many different positions since he’s been at Michigan. I think his love for the game is unmatched, and that’s why you see that he came in as an EDGE, he played a little bit of wide receiver and now he’s finally found a home at safety.

“I see a guy this year that’s going to have a big year for us.”

Junior Chris Bracy, who spent two seasons at UAB (2024) and one at Memphis (2025), has impressed since arriving at Michigan. He’s vying for a starting job alongside Moore, after the Mobile, Ala., native recorded 81 tackles, including 9.5 for loss, 10 pass breakups and 1 interception last year.

“Chris has played over 700 snaps at Memphis [in 2025], and Chris is a football guy,” the Michigan coach said. “He wasn’t a guy who was highly-recruited or anything. He has a chip on his shoulder, so he knows that his whole objective is to prove to the country that he can be one of the best safeties in the country.

“I’ve been so impressed with Bracy, and I know his teammates have been impressed with him, as well. I’m expecting big things from him this year.”

Don’t forget about sophomore Jordan Young, either. He entered the transfer portal before withdrawing this offseason. Young has versatility, with the ability to play both nickel and safety. He’s one of a slew of young players who could impact.

“The person that probably impressed the most was Jordan Young,” Stockton said. “Obviously, he played around 150 snaps last year as a young player, but he is up there with those guys, competing for a starting position.

“And then we’ve got two young guys, as well, in [freshmen] Jordan Deck and Ernest Nunley that have come in as early enrollees and competed their tails off every single day.

“Really like the room. [Sophomore] Kainoa Winston, he redshirted last year. He’s a kid that ran a 10.4, 10.5 [100-meter dash] out of high school. So, we’ve got a competitive group. And then we’ve got guys who are unsung heroes with our walk-ons like Nico [Andrighetto] and Max Reyes, who come in every single day and compete their tails off, too.”

All in all, Stockton, who came over from Boise State, loves what he has to work with at Michigan.

“I see a lot of depth in the room, and I see a group of guys that truly care about each other — and I think that’s going to show this season,” he noted. “You’ll see the way the guys play, but really behind the scenes, people will have no idea; the reason they play so hard for each other is because they truly care about each other, they truly love each other, by the action, the sacrifice that those guys play with day in and day out.”