On Friday, February 16, former Michigan safety Keon Sabb logged into the transfer site. Just four days have passed,
and he has already selected and enrolled in a new school.
The announcement that Sabb has enrolled and will play for the Crimson Tide this coming fall was leaked by a NIL
collective from the University of Alabama, the Rose Bowl runner-up. Later, Sabb used a social media post to
corroborate it.
Out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, the 6-foot-1, 208-pound former four-star was rated among the top 100
prospects for the 2022 recruiting class. At first, he preferred the Wolverines to schools like Texas A&M, Clemson,
Georgia, and Penn State.
Sabb, a true freshman, saved his redshirt by playing in four games on special teams. He played in 14 games as a
redshirt freshman in 2023, recording 28 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and one interception return
for a touchdown. Given that Mike Sainristil was out of the nickel position in Michigan’s defense, Sabb would have
been positioned for a bigger role the next season. But it might have been difficult to get snaps at Sabb’s actual
position of safety because Rod Moore and Makari Paige were both returning to Michigan. Rather, because Caleb
Downs transferred from Alabama to Ohio State earlier this winter, he will probably assume Downs’ job going
forward.
The Wolverines return the previously mentioned established starters and will now depend on Zeke Berry, DJ Waller,
Ja’Den McBurrows, Jyaire Hill, and Brandyn Hillman, among others, for depth in the secondary in 2024—a blow to
Michigan’s depth in the secondary, no doubt.
