The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2024 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 31 DEFENSIVE LINE BY CHRIS BALAS C onstructing a great de- fense starts with the men up front, no matter what level, regardless of the competition. If you build a dominant defensive line and surround it with solid talent, there's a good chance they'll be successful. New defensive coordina- tor Wink Martindale knows this well, having been a football coach for 40 years. He's inherit- ing an elite front in his first sea- son at Michigan, and he's already become familiar with some of the players — especially junior de- fensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant. "Every year, no matter where you're at, you break your entire defense down and start building a foundation from the ground up again," Martindale said. "You can't just pick up from where you were the year prior. But I think with the foundation of having those two to start with, it would help any defense out at any level." He elaborated with former Michigan All-America offensive tackle Jon Jansen on the "In The Trenches" podcast. "These guys are square football players who play with knock-back, and they can make plays," Martindale continued. "It warms my heart to see that. Where some will say that they don't have enough of this, or they don't have that — it's com- plete hogwash, because if you can start with stopping the run, which those two are very good at … and they do it differ- ent ways. "It's not just because they're square and play with knock-back. They both move well, and it's going to be exciting for us." Graham is Pro Football Focus' No. 1 re- turning defensive tackle nationally after a dominant season in which he won Rose Bowl MVP honors. He was PFF's fourth- most valuable defensive tackle in the na- tion and ranked sixth with a 15.9 percent pass-rush win rate, one of only two inte- rior defensive linemen in the country to finish with top-10 grades as both a pass rusher and run defender. Grant was the sixth-most valuable tackle according to PFF's wins above average met- ric, despite playing in a rota- tional role. His 78.4 PFF pass- rushing grade in 2023 was a top-15 mark among defensive tackles. "Between Grant and Graham, the defending national champi- ons have easily the best defen- sive tackle duo in college foot- ball heading into 2024," PFF. com wrote. "That's despite los- ing a projected second-round pick at that position in Kris Jen- kins." Rayshaun Benny will return for his senior year after suf- fering a season-ending injury in the Rose Bowl, and he'll be a key part of the rotation, as well. There's also hope sophomore Trey Pierce or someone else can step up to provide depth. On the edges, the Wolverines have the two players returning responsible for one of the big- gest plays of the year in junior Derrick Moore and senior Josaiah Stewart. Both were in on the play that stuffed Ala- bama's Jalen Milroe on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line in the Rose Bowl, preserving the overtime win. Stewart, in fact, led all Michigan de- fensive linemen with 38 tackles last year, including 8.5 for loss with 5.5 sacks. "I think it's a great starting point," Martindale said. "We just need to build some depth behind them. I think both D-Mo and Josaiah … they're hidden gems. Just look at the final play against Alabama with Josaiah doing that to that tackle. That's what made the play, which a lot of people don't realize. "That type of mentality up front, across the board, is going to win you a lot of football games." Senior TJ Guy has been waiting his turn and should get an opportunity, while other young guys have been wait- ing in the wings. Their development will be key to a front that should — once again — be among the best in college football. ❑ Wolverines Are Elite In The Middle Junior Kenneth Grant is the No. 6 returning defensive tackle in the nation headed into the 2024 campaign, according to Pro Football Focus. His classmate, Mason Graham, was No. 1 on the list, making U-M the only school with two top-10 defensive linemen. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN ❱ AT A GLANCE Position Coach: Greg Scruggs (first season) Returning Starters: DT Mason Graham (15 career starts), DT Ken- neth Grant (5) Departing Starters: DT Kris Jen- kins (33), EDGE Braiden McGregor (18), EDGE Jaylen Harrell (30) Contenders To Start: EDGE Der- rick Moore (Jr.), EDGE Josaiah Stew- art (Sr.), DT/EDGE Rayshaun Benny (Sr.; 1) Top Reserves: DT Brooks Bahr (So.), EDGE Cameron Brandt (So.), EDGE Kechaun Bennett (Sr.), EDGE Enow Etta (So.), EDGE TJ Guy (Sr.), EDGE Breeon Ishmail (So.), DT Ike Iwunnah (Sr.), EDGE Aymeric Koumba (So.), DT Alessandro Loren- zetti (Jr.), EDGE Tyler McLaurin (Sr.), DT Trey Pierce (So.) Newcomers: EDGE Devon Baxter (Fr.), DT Manuel Beigel (Fr.), EDGE Lugard Edokpayi (Fr.), DT Ted Ham- mond (Fr.), EDGE Dominic Nichols (Fr.), NT Deyvid Palepale (Fr.), DT Owen Wafle (Fr.)