The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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[ D E F E N S I V E L I N E ] THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 85 mayhem defensive tackles. "It's hard not to start with Kris Jenkins," Minter said. "He's a monster. He gets bigger and bigger every time I see him. The thing about him is the way he plays is the way we want all of our guys to play. He plays really, really hard, but he does all the little things right, play after play after play after play. "His consistency, his physi- cality. I think we'll see him make even more plays this year. I think we'll see him get more oppor- tunities as a pass rusher this year, which would be awesome to see." Jenkins earned honorable mention All-Big Ten status last season, starting all 14 Michi- gan games at tackle. He paced all U-M defensive linemen with 54 stops, including 3.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and 2 quarterback hurries. In the big- gest game of the regular season, Jenkins led Michigan's defensive line with 5 tackles against Ohio State. G ra h a m e n joye d a n eye - opening freshman campaign in The Big House and beyond. As a rookie battling with the prime beef of the Big Ten, Graham played in 14 games with a pair of starts. He made 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup and a QB hurry. Minter figures he'll do more a second time around the league. "Mason Graham is another name everybody knows," Minter said, "after the freshman year he had at Michigan. I'm excited about him. He's another guy that just gets better and better every time on the field." Benny took a little longer get- ting his feet under him, but he's coming on strong. He posted 13 tackles in 13 appearances last year but demonstrated some real playmaking ability in the tough- est road venue of the season. "A guy that's maybe the most improved in the last year since I've been here is Rayshaun Benny," Minter said. "He's a guy I thought made some big plays late in the year … gets pressure on [Ohio State quarterback C.J.] Stroud that causes him to throw a pick. "All these guys have now made some plays, so there's just a different level of confidence that they have now. Every time they go out there, they feel like they can make plays." Grant is massive and still on the upswing. He drew the "gift from the football gods" refer- ence by head coach Jim Har- baugh, although not identified as such at that time. Grant keeps making gains in technique and leverage, while moving his 350- plus pounds 5.0 seconds in a 40- yard dash. "I think Kenneth Grant is go- ing to be a name everybody's go- ing to know about," Minter said. "He's a monster in the middle and has a chance to be a really dominant type of player here. "And then I've been really proud and really excited about Cam Goode and the improve- ments he's made since the end of the season. He's putting him- self in a position to be a contrib- utor here." Grant secured 8 tackles in 14 games last season, while Goode posted 8 with a TFL and pass breakup in nine contests. Both figure into a rotation upon which the Wolverines will rely heavily. "We have five really good players that could probably all play at a lot of schools across the country," Minter said. "They've PRESEASON ANALYSIS STARTERS ★★★★ The Wolverines keep reloading up front, and that spells trouble for those wishing to crack their de- fense, the second straight guided by defensive coor- dinator Jesse Minter and line coach Mike Elston. The Wolverines feature seniors such as tackle Kris Jenkins and edge performers Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor, along with tackle Mason Graham and edge Derrick Moore, who enjoyed excellent rookie seasons for the Wolverines in 2022. They'll combine to form a front that should again prove staunch against the run, and which has vowed to get more pressure on the quarterback across the board. DEPTH ★★★★ Beyond those listed above, the Wolverines feature a host of players who could break through to become forces across the defensive line in the 2023 campaign. Sophomore Kenneth Grant, junior Rayshaun Benny and grad Cam Goode bring beef and increasing expe- rience to the tackle position, while junior edge Josa- iah Stewart came to Michigan via the transfer portal in the offseason. The Wolverines should once again be able to come at offenses in waves, with a hunger for hitting inspired by both competitiveness and the desire to stay on the field as long as possible. OVERALL ★★★★ This could become a five-star crew by season's end, without question. Lessons learned from the defensive struggles against TCU in the College Football Playoff will be fuel for becoming even better in 2023, and certainly the young players who just got a taste last season will be ready for much more. Michigan has proven it can slow down some of the best offenses in college football (like Ohio State's) with muscle up front. They want to take the next step, though, and that clearly involves bringing it when college football's brightest spotlight turns on. Junior tackle Rayshaun Benny showed great improvement throughout last season, finishing with 13 tackles in 13 games. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN