The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503142
[ D E F E N S I V E L I N E ] 84 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Deep AnD WiDe Michigan's D-Line Is Ready To Create Havoc BY JOHN BORTON M ichigan keeps on readying for trench warfare, and the stop troops refuse to take a back seat in that battle. The Wolverines' defensive line has its sights set on a major ambush. That all starts in the middle, where U-M's interior linemen insist more is coming. They weren't satisfied with the push they got up the middle last year, and neither was defensive line coach Mike Elston. They're looking to rectify that quickly and decisively, noted 6-foot- 3, 309-pound senior tackle Kris Jen- kins. "Absolutely — 100 percent," Jenkins insisted. "The depth we have across the board, how locked in these guys are — me, [sophomores] Mason Gra- ham [6-3, 317], Kenneth Grant [6-3, 356], [junior] Rayshaun Benny [6-4, 292], [grad] Cam Goode [6-2, 323] — you're going to see all of us flash and flourish in the pass rush game. "We've all decided as a group to take that aspect of our game to the next level. That's where we were lack- ing last year. You can really see so far this year, we're really starting to make strides. "No matter who is on the field in that interior D-line, you're defi- nitely going to see a lot of push in that pocket." On the edges, Michigan will fea- ture some familiar players, looking to make bigger names for themselves, put pressure on quarterbacks, and put wins on the board. The Wolverines have it roll- ing off the edges in recent years, with Kwity Paye, Aidan Hutchinson, David Ojabo and Mike Morris, to name a few, becoming a force before moving on to pro football. T h i s s e a s o n , e d ge players such as sopho- more Derrick Moore (6- 3, 279), senior Braiden McGregor (6-6, 261), se n i o r Jayl e n H a r- rell (6-4, 246) and transfer junior Josa- iah Stewart (6-1, 237) will look to turn up the heat. E l s to n a n d d e fe n s ive coordinator Jesse Minter know they're playing with a deep and tal- ented lineup along the front wall. Now it's all about taking the next steps to become the force setting the tone for the entire defense. Incentive On The Interior There's no question Michigan's inside warriors come in highly mo- tivated to become domi- nant. Minter — speaking at length with former Wolverine and current U-M radio color analyst Jon Jansen for the "In The Trenches" podcast — clearly identified Jen- kins as a leader among five standout, ready-for- MICHIGAN'S NATIONAL RANK IN SACKS AND TFLS UNDER JIM HARBAUGH Season Sacks National Rank TFLs National Rank 2022 37 T-19th 73 T-67th 2021 34 T-39th 71 T-72nd 2020 9 T-108th 25 T-114th 2019 36 T-21st 78 T-55th 2018 34 T-32nd 88 T-32nd 2017 42 T-8th 114 T-1st 2016 46 5th 120 3rd 2015 32 31st 88 T-39th Defensive tackle Mason Graham made 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a QB hurry en route to sharing U-M's Defen- sive Rookie of the Year honors. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER