attend the University of Michigan. He noted that, after visiting Ann Arbor, he "fell in love with Ann Arbor, the coaches, the school, the football legacy, the Big House, and it's just where I felt at home." He was regarded as the top prospect in Michigan's 2011 recruiting class. ESPN.com called him "a natural cover guy with good size and speed," and noted that he has "all the tools to be an outstanding player in college." Three weeks after Countess committed to Michigan, the school's head coach Rich Rodriguez was fired. After the firing, Countess's high school coach noted that the move was unlikely to effect Countess's commitment. He noted that Countess was aware of rumors about Rodriguez being fired before giving his commitment and noted, "He said he picked Michigan because of the school." He signed his letter of intent with Michigan in February 2011. Michigan career Countess saw his first substantial playing time for the 2011 Michigan Wolverines football team in the fourth quarter of a 28–7 victory over San Diego State on September 24, 2011. In less than one quarter, Countess accumulated seven tackles and broke up a pass in the endzone from quarterback Ryan Lindley. After the game, Michigan lineman Ryan Van Bergen noted that Countess has "a swagger about him." The following week, Countess again drew praise for forcing a fumble and leading the team in tackles in a 58–0 win over Minnesota. He received the Next Level Player of the Week award from Matt Bracken of The Baltimore Sun. For the season, he earned 2011 Big Ten All-Freshman team recognition from ESPN.com and BTN.com as well as 2011 TSN first-team All-Freshman and College Football News All-Freshman honorable mention honors. Countess injured his anterior cruciate ligament in the season opener for the 2012 Michigan Wolverines football team against Alabama. He returned as a redshirt sophomore to be a 2013 All-Big Ten Conference football team first-team selection by the media and second-team selection the coaches. However, the following year as a redshirt junior he only received honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition from the media. Auburn On May 13, 2015, Countess announced his decision to transfer from Michigan. After a brief recruiting process with various different schools, on May 26 he announced he would be a graduate transfer for the 2015 Auburn Tigers football team, and his enrollment was official by May 28. He had also been