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 ] 88 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2023 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BIOS POSITION COACH Mike Elston is entering his sec- ond season as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Michigan, his alma mater. He helped defensive tackle Mazi Smith get picked in the first round and edge Mike Morris be selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft this spring. Elston spent the previous 12 years at Notre Dame under former head coach Brian Kelly. His time in South Bend included 12 NFL draftees and six players selected in his last three years (2019-21). He held several roles with Cincinnati between 2007-09, including assistant head coach, defensive line and special teams coordinator. Prior to that, he spent three seasons each at Central Michigan (2004-06) and Eastern Michigan (2001-03). This is Elston's second stint on the Michigan staff after spending the 1993-96 seasons playing under both Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr. He remained with the program in 1997 as a student assistant and moved to a video intern in 1998. Elston spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons as a graduate assistant with the outside linebackers. RETURNING PLAYERS KECHAUN BENNETT • EDGE Jr. • Suffield, Conn. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 241 • Appeared in one game his freshman year and three his sophomore season. • Tabbed as a four-star recruit, the No. 2 player in Connecticut and the No. 33 edge nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. RAYSHAUN BENNY • DT Jr. • Detroit Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 292 • Saw action in 13 contests in 2022 and recorded 13 tackles, including 2 against Penn State. • Played in three games in 2021 and made 3 tackles. Named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week during Rutgers prep. • Was named to The Detroit News Dream Team and MLive Dream Team as both a junior and senior in high school. • Pegged as a four-star prospect, and the No. 22 defensive lineman and No. 186 overall player in his class by On3 Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2021 3/0 3 0 0 2022 13/0 13 0 0 Totals 16/0 16 0 0 TJ GUY • EDGE Jr. • Mansfield, Mass. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 246 • Appeared in 10 outings last season, tallying 4 tack- les, including 2 against UConn. • Played in two contests in 2021, with 2 tackles (1 for loss) and 1 sack. • Rated by On3 Industry Ranking as a three-star recruit and the No. 5 player in Massachusetts. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2021 2/0 2 1 1 2022 10/0 4 0 0 Totals 12/0 6 1 1 CAM GOODE • DT Gr. • Washington, D.C. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 323 • Played in nine games off the bench and made 8 tackles with 1 for loss and 1 pass breakup in 2022. • Transferred from Central Florida ahead of the 2022 campaign. • Appeared in all 13 games in 2021 at UCF with three starts at defensive tackle. Led team and tied for second in the AAC and 12th in the country with 4 forced fumbles, fourth-most in a single season at UCF. Finished with 24 tackles with 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 3 passes defended and 4 hurries. • In his first two college seasons (2019-20), played in 20 games and totaled 28 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. • Originally enrolled at Virginia Tech but did not play in 2018 and transferred to UCF. • Three-star prospect, No. 62 defensive lineman in the country and the sixth-ranked player in D.C. in 2018 class per the On3 Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2019* 10/0 9 0.5 0 2020* 10/2 19 7.5 3 2021* 13/3 24 4 3 2022 9/0 8 1 0 Totals 42/5 50 13 6 * at Central Florida MASON GRAHAM • DT So. • Anaheim, Calif. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 317 • Competed in all 14 games with two starts in 2022, registering 27 tackles with 2.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarter- back hurry. Had a career-high 4 tackles in two games, most recently vs. Illinois. Shared U-M's Defensive Rookie of the Year award with Will Johnson. • Two-way player who recorded 60 tackles, 22 tack- les for loss and 14 sacks as a senior at Servite High School. • Also was a high school wrestler and two-time Trinity League heavyweight champion. • Rated a four-star prospect and No. 298 player nationally per On3 Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2022 14/2 27 2.5 2.5 KENNETH GRANT • DT So. • Merrillville, Ind. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 356 • Appeared in all 14 contests and made 8 tackles as a freshman in 2022. • Four-year starter at Merrillville High who helped team to a 40-9 career record. Had 38 tackles (14.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks, 12 quar- terback hurries and 2 passes defended as a senior. Also forced 4 fumbles, recovering 2, and blocked 4 field goals, 2 punts and 2 extra points. Played on offense at guard. • Multiple-sport athlete who also lettered in track and field. State meet qualifier and top-10 shot put thrower in school history. • Rated a four-star recruit, the No. 102 player na- tionally and 14th-ranked defensive lineman in the country by On3.com. IKE IWUNNAH • DT Jr. • Garland, Texas Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 321 • Has not seen game action through two seasons. • All-district performer each of his final two prep seasons. • On3 Industry Ranking slotted him as a three-star prospect. KRIS JENKINS • DT Sr. • Olney, Md. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 309 • Started all 14 outings last sea- son, leading U-M's defensive linemen with 54 tackles and adding 3.5 stops for loss, 2 sacks and 2 quarterback hurries. • Named honorable mention All-Big Ten by coaches and media. • Earned U-M defensive player of the week honors three times (vs. UConn, Penn State and Michigan State). • Suited up in all 14 games in 2021 with four starts, totaling 22 tackles and 1 quarterback hurry, and sharing a tackle for loss. Had a career-high 7 tack- les against Georgia in the CFP semifinal game. • Appeared in one game on the defensive line and special teams as a freshman in 2020. • Named Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. • Ranked as a three-star recruit, the No. 19 player in Maryland and No. 32 edge in the land by On3 Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2020 1/0 0 0 0 2021 14/4 22 0.5 0 2022 14/14 54 3.5 2 Totals 29/18 76 4 2