Michigan might be missing one of its best defenders for the College Football Playoff. 

After rumors surfaced on message boards that safety Daxton Hill didn’t make the trip to the Miami area with the team, multiple players declined to say Wednesday morning whether Hill was with them. They instead referred questions to head coach Jim Harbaugh, who isn’t scheduled to speak to media until Thursday, a day before Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. 

Hill, a former five-star recruit, was an All-Big Ten player this year and has two interceptions. If the Wolverines have to play Georgia without him, it would be a huge loss for their secondary against an offense that is seemingly healthy. Star receiver George Pickens has rejoined the Bulldogs after clearing COVID protocols. 

If Hill has either tested positive for COVID-19 or is an unvaccinated close contact, the timing could dictate whether he plays in the game or not. At the beginning of the season, Harbaugh said his Wolverines had a 99 percent vaccination rate, and the team held a booster shot event prior to leaving Ann Arbor. The university also has a vaccine mandate. 

“Of course there’s anxiety, but we’re all doing the right things, so it’s not really that deep for us,” safety Brad Hawkins said when asked about COVID-19. “We just continue to do the right things and continue to follow all the rules in the right way, and we’re going to be fine. That’s just how we go about the situation.” 

The Bulldogs reportedly had multiple positive tests ahead of leaving for Florida, but head coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday they’ve gotten “most of those guys back.” 

That includes Pickens and backup quarterback JT Daniels.