‘You can’t be soft’: Brandyn Hillman working to control his aggression, but big hits give Michigan defense ‘momentum’

Michigan Wolverines football junior safety Brandyn Hillman posted a career-high 4 tackles, a pass breakup on a big hit and the first sack of his career in the 19-13 win over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl to end the 2024 campaign.

Hillman has flashed here and there but put it all together in the bowl game victory. Now, he projects as a starter on the back end of the defense.

“I don’t really get too high on myself, but I feel confident,” Hillman said Wednesday. “I’m ready.

“I was just out there playing football as long as I could. That was probably the most snaps I had all season, so I felt comfortable. I was just out there playing, for real. Coach put me on the field, said, ‘Go.’ That’s what I did.”

“Go” is all Hillman needs to hear. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Portsmouth, Va., native plays with aggression and is known for being a big hitter. He knocked out two Indiana players with big licks on clean plays last season, which gave his defense some juice.

“Momentum for our defense,” Hillman said of what big pops can bring. “Of course, if you see somebody from your defense hit somebody on the opposing team, it sends a trigger inside your brain like, ‘OK, let’s go!’ Just giving a spark to the team.”

The key for Hillman heading into his junior season is controlling that aggression, according to Michigan defensive backs coach LaMar Morgan. Hillman is making strides in that area.

“My thing is I can kinda feel it. When I get too hype, I stop breathing a little bit on the field,” the defensive back admitted. “My coach knows that, he understands that. He sees it every day, so when I’m hitting somebody, if it’s an open-field tackle, I don’t gotta kill ‘em. Just get him down to the ground, live to play another down. If I do get the kill shot, yeah, I can go take it. That’s pretty much it.”

The kill shot may hurt for the offensive player, but not for Hillman.

“For me, I don’t really feel it, to be honest,” he said. “When I hit people, yeah sometimes if it’s a big running back, a big tight end, I’m gonna keep it real, yeah I’m gonna feel it a little bit. Other than that, I don’t really feel it. I just kinda run through them, keep my feet moving and go about my day, to be honest.”

Even when Hillman was a quarterback in high school, he was “running through people’s faces.”

“You gotta play like that in football,” the Michigan DB said. “You can’t be soft. This is an aggressive game, so either you hit somebody or you get hit. I don’t wanna get hit, for real. As a quarterback, I didn’t want to get hit, so I was always running into people before they hit me.”

Hillman appeared in 12 games last season, registering 21 tackles with 1.5 for loss, 1 sack and 2 pass breakups. He’s set to have a much bigger role this coming year, mostly at high safety but also potentially at nickel back.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been moving around. I’ve been moving,” Hillman said of playing multiple spots.

“I’m cool with it. As long as my defense needs it, I’m cool with it. I don’t have a problem with it. Coach needs me at safety, I’ll go to safety. Coach needs me at nickel, I’ll go to nickel. I’ve got no problem with it.”

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