For Michigan football , it was perhaps the best 72-hour stretch thus far for Sherrone Moore in his stint as head coach.

On May 16 — a few weeks after the Wolverines had wrapped up spring practice — defensive coordinator Wink Martindale called a team meeting, in which he told his group the defense would be actively looking to add pieces in the secondary.

And indeed, the pieces arrived quickly. First, U-M landed Aamir Hall, an All-American cornerback from FCS-level Albany. Within 24 hours, secondary coach Lamar Morgan had more reinforcements in a sixth-year SEC safety (Wesley Welker, from Tennessee) and an honorable mention All-Big Ten safety (from a rival, no less, in Jaden Mangham, from Michigan State).

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Soon after, the Wolverines wrapped up their three-day haul with UNLV standout Ricky Johnson, replenishing a room depleted from spring transfers.

For U-M's coaches, it brought smiles at the "Sound Mind Sound Body" camp at Wayne State in late May. But they knew it wouldn't bring as much joy for those who'd already been in the DB room.

“You've got to be careful with recruiting in the transfer portal,” Morgan said. "Always want to do a good job of developing the players we have in the program and sometimes with acquisitions, you have to make sure you get the right kids because the culture is already set.

"But the depth chart is living. It can change week to week, it can change day to day. We haven't talked about depth charts with guys yet, just trying to get the guys acclimated to what we do and how we do it."

After the smoke of U-M's secondary shopping spree had cleared, there was at least one Wolverine grappling mightily with the "living" depth chart: rising redshirt freshman corner Jyaire Hill.

The former four-star recruit from Kankakee, Illinois, was seen as one of the top options in the spring to start opposite Will Johnson — after all, somebody had to replace Josh Wallace. Once DJ Waller transferred to Kentucky, Hill was the leader in the clubhouse.

"That kid's got immense talent to be as good as anybody," Moore boasted at the time. "I've talked to Will a couple times. Sug — they call him 'Sug,' he calls himself 'Sug.' 'Sug is gonna be good.' This kid, he's got length. He's got speed. He's got athleticism. He's fearless. He'll tackle. He'll go make a play on the ball.

"He's everything you want in the corner."

That was May. And in June? He's back in the midst of a heated battle.

"Everything isn’t going to go how you want it to go, but you’ve got to stay ready to be the next man up," Hill told the Free Press. "I got something to prove. Me and my family. We put a lot of work in and people haven’t seen me yet.

"People always question about CB2, but I’m ready to get on that field and prove that it’s there."

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There's little doubt the 6-foot-2, 181-pound defensive back has the athletic ability. After all, he ran a 10.8-second 100-meter dash in high school en route to being ranked as rated the No. 2 player in Illinois and making the U.S. Army Bowl.

However, for the two-time state-champion sprinter and all-Illinois long jumper, his first season in Ann Arbor was more about earning his way into a secondary rotation that featured multiple All-Americans (Johnson and Mike Sainristil), plus Wallace (now fighting for an NFL roster spot), a pair of potential NFL safeties (Rod Moore and Makari Paige) and a third safety (Keon Sabb) expected to start in the SEC after transferring to Alabama.

Hill did what he could. The true freshman played 56 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and recorded eight tackles (including 1½ for loss).

Targeted in pass coverage seven times, Hill allowed just three receptions for a total of 18 yards.

"Really took everything in, enjoyed the moment," Hill said of his freshman season, which culminated with the program's first national championship since 1997. "But as a team we stay hungry. We haven’t done anything yet, we still got more to prove, to complete as a team."

Though he's expected to compete primarily for a spot as corner this fall, Hill said he has always emphasized versatility. That means working with nickel backs, too, as U-M searches for a replacement for Sainristil, a second-round NFL draft pick. If Michigan is to remain a College Football Playoff contender, it will be because of players like "Sug" taking a step forward.

"Sug" is also Hill's rap name and he's not afraid to show off those skills, either — he offered to freestyle during an phone interview. He got the nickname "Sugar Hill" from his uncle at a youth football game, but it now has taken on many forms: "Like candy, you'll always see me with something sweet on me," Hill said.

After May's haul for Michigan, don't be surprised if October — perhaps, say, Halloween — brings more "Sug" as a treat for the Wolverines.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football's Jyaire Hill ready for sweet second season