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 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 87 indicative of guys with a lot left to give. At least a few players will need to develop to put Michigan in that position again in 2024. Benny (6-4, 296) continues to work his way back from a leg injury suffered in the Rose Bowl, and while he wasn't avail- able to play in the spring, we saw him doing drills and moving well during one spring session at Al Glick Field House. "Rayshaun's done an unbelievable job," Esposito said. "He meets with me twice a week — we watch his plays from last year. When we're out on the field, he be- comes another coach for some of those guys we're trying to build depth with. He's done a great job with that. … You watch him at every practice — he's grabbing guys [to talk to them]." Benny (27 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 1 sack) should be back for fall camp when he'll be "ready to rock," Esposito added. While Benny, Graham and Grant are ex- cited to carry as much of the load as nec- essary against a tough schedule, they want to see others get a chance, too. Graham picked out two on the interior he thought could step up this spring. "I feel Trey Pierce developed a lot this past year, in the practices we had," he said of the 6-2, 300-pound sophomore. "He's been training really hard, and I'm excited to see what he does along with [se- nior] Ike Iwunnah (6-3, 313). I feel like he's also made a lot of strides in the offseason so far, and he's really locked into what he's doing." Grant, too, has his eye on Pierce. "At the beginning of the season, he didn't really get why and what he was do- ing, but now he's starting to get it," Grant said. "He's starting to be faster with his hands and starting to launch more." Pierce played in 13 games as a true fresh- man, including seven along the defensive line, and saw plenty of time in mop-up duty, finishing with 2 tackles in 58 snaps. Adjusting to the speed of the game has been his greatest improvement, Pierce said. Even head man Moore said in May that Pierce has been "really good." In addition to Pierce and Iwunnah, soph- omore Enow Etta (6-5, 295) also is looking to make a move. He can play inside or out, but the veteran defensive linemen said they saw more of him inside this spring. "It started toward the end of the season," Graham said. "I know it wasn't just me, but everybody started seeing really good flashes from him, even when he's on scout in one-on-one. I feel like [that] kind of just carried into the offseason. He's gotten big- ger, stronger. He's doing some different stuff. So, he's kind of just everywhere right now. But I've seen really good things from him. Expect him to contribute this year." "He's a very twitchy and powerful dude," Grant said. "He's just taking it all in. He used to play edge, but he's doing some work doing the inside stuff. He's doing a really good job." Sophomore Brooks Bahr (6-5, 285) and junior Alessandro Lorenzetti (6-5, 301) will also be pushing to make the rotation, along with true freshmen Owen Wafle (6-2, 280), Ted Hammond (6-5, 265), Deyvid Palepale (6-3, 305) and Manuel Beigel (6-5, 280). Edge Razors On the edges, Esposito inherits a duo most teams in the country would love to have in junior Derrick Moore (6-3, 258) and senior Josaiah Stewart (6-1, 245). Both were instrumental in stopping Alabama quar- terback Jalen Milroe on the final play of the Rose Bowl, a fourth-and-3 stick that preserved the Michigan victory. Moore played in all 15 games at edge a year ago, making 34 tackles with 6 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery (returned for a touchdown at Maryland), 4 QB hurries and 2 pass breakups. The honorable mention All-Big Ten pick seems prepared for a breakout in 2024, his coaches having noted many times his po- tential to be a high-end, even "dominant" player. He's ready to take it to the next level. STARTERS ★★★★★ ★★★★★ First-year line coach Lou Esposito inherited an elite group, and he understands and appreciates it. There might not be a better defensive tackle duo in the country than juniors Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — we'll say we don't remember a better pair in Michigan history — and that goes a long way toward building an elite defense. Senior Rayshaun Benny is expected back and healthy, and he'd start just about anywhere else in the Big Ten. Edges Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart are ready to emerge, and senior TJ Guy had a great spring. The top six here are going to play a lot and will all be considered "starters." DEPTH ★★★ ★★★ ½ Michigan was still looking for portal possibilities at tackle in May, an indication that they needed more bodies behind the stalwarts. There were five proven tackles last year but only three heading into this season in Graham, Grant and Benny. They need a bit more beef on the interior. TJ Guy's emergence bodes well at edge, but the Wolverines will need another player or two to emerge there, too. OVERALL ★★★★ ★★★★ ½ There's a reason teams around the country were coming after the top Michigan linemen with huge NIL offers in the offseason — they're just that good. The U-M coaches wouldn't trade their starting four for any in the country, and they're a big reason the Wolverines should be right there in every game they play this year. It's up to Esposito to build depth, but the talent seems to be there. Junior Derrick Moore played in all 15 games at edge rusher a year ago, making 34 tackles with 6 for loss, 5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery (returned for a touchdown at Mary- land), 4 quarterback hurries and 2 pass breakups. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL PRESEASON ANALYSIS Michigan's DL Pressures Last Season, Per PFF Rank Player Pos. Pressures 1. Jaylen Harrell EDGE 31 T2. Mason Graham DT 29 Josaiah Stewart EDGE 29 4. Braiden McGregor EDGE 28 5. Derrick Moore EDGE 26 6. Kenneth Grant DT 23 7. Kris Jenkins DT 20 8. Cam Goode DT 13 9. Rayshaun Benny DT 7 10. TJ Guy EDGE 5 * Bold denotes players on 2024 roster