The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 33 Sophomore Kris Jenkins Jenkins projects to be one of the players in the mix to step up along the interior with Hinton off to the NFL. He played in all 14 games this season with 22 total tack- les (0.5 for loss) and had a quarterback hit in the win at Wisconsin on Oct. 4. Sophomore Braiden McGregor He is one of several defensive ends who could be in line for a bump in play- ing time in 2022. He appeared in nine games this season in a reserve role, notching five total tackles with one for loss. He suffered a torn ACL during his senior season of high school in 2019 but has stated he is back to full strength moving forward. Redshirt freshman TJ Guy The three-star prospect out of Mans- field, Mass., played in two games during his true freshman season. He notched his first career sack Nov. 20 at Mary- land, and has a chance to work his way into the edge rusher rotation in 2022. Redshirt freshman Kechaun Bennett Bennett was a four-star prospect and the No. 358 player in the 2021 class, per the On3 Consensus rankings. He ap- peared in the Northern Illinois game, but did not record a statistic. Redshirt freshman Rayshaun Benny The late flip from Michigan State in the 2021 recruiting cycle appeared in three outings this fall. Continued progress from the former four-star recruit could put him in consideration to replace Hin- ton on the interior. Benny finished his debut season with three total tackles. Redshirt freshman George Rooks The four-star prospect and the No. 309 player in the 2021 class appeared in three games this season but did not record a statistic. Redshirt freshman Ike Iwunnah This was a true redshirt season for the former three-star recruit. He did not appear in a game, but is expected to contribute at nose tackle before his time in Ann Arbor is up. Redshirt freshman Dominick Giudice The three-star recruit and No. 1,579 overall player in the 2021 cycle suited up in two games but did not record a stat. NEWCOMERS Freshman Derrick Moore The 6-4, 250-pounder from Balti- more St. Frances Academy is a four-star signee and the No. 87 overall recruit in the On3 Consensus rankings. ESPN is the highest on his skill set, rating him the No. 23 prospect in the 2022 recruit- ing class, and he was named the Max- Preps Maryland Player of the Year. Freshman Kenneth Grant Grant stands 6-5, 350 pounds out of Merrillville, Ind. On3.com rates him a four-star prospect, the No. 130 player and No. 18 defensive tackle in the 2022 cycle. He is expected to push for time at nose tackle. Freshman Mason Graham Graham is a four-star prospect and the No. 396 overall player in the 2022 class. The product of Servite High in Anaheim, Calif., was named a second-team Max- Preps All-American after racking up 67 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 14 sacks for the nation's No. 5 squad. 2022 ANALYSIS Not many predicted Hinton would move on, but the depth on the interior de- fensive line still looks like a positive. Smith played the best football of his career and held down the fort in an expanded role this season. Jenkins flashed potential in 2021 and Benny developed behind the scenes, so there is reason to believe the absence of Hinton can be offset. Welschof and improvement from some of the second-year guys should help with depth along the interior. Replacing Hutchinson is going to be a much taller order. Even if there was a logical replacement waiting in the wings, plugging someone in for one of the all-time great players in school history is no easy task. Michigan is going to need Upshaw and Morris to step up into leadership roles while someone lower on the depth chart takes a leap this offseason. Right now, the door is wide open. The Wolverines have 15 sacks to replace from the defensive line and 11 more from the rush linebacker spot with David Ojabo declaring for the draft. A dip into the transfer portal could be in order for some proven pass rush help, even if just to add a productive depth piece or two. This may wind up being the biggest offseason question posed to the program, especially with defensive line coach Shaun Nua off to USC. The Wolverines need reinforcements along the defensive line and sophomore Kris Jenkins could help shore up the middle after he played in all 14 games with 22 tackles this fall. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL