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 88 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW "All the physical tools are there," Michi- gan play-by-play voice Doug Karsch said of Moore. "Going by the standard progression arc, he shouldn't just be good … he should be great, and I'm sure he's being told that. Now it's up to him. … He can be a dominant force on the edge." Stewart, meanwhile, has gotten much more comfortable with a year under his belt, he said, having gained trust from the players and coaches in the building. His play in the Rose Bowl that secured the win — one in which he drove an All-America tackle into Milroe — will help do that. Stewart had 38 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last season, and he also is ready to take it to another level. "Just really rounding out my game," Stewart said of his personal expectations. "Any flaw I thought I might have last sea- son, I'm just sharpening it every day and becoming the best player I can on and off the field. Being where I'm supposed to be, handling my business … just having an- other year of really becoming a pro." Behind them, senior TJ Guy has patiently been waiting his turn for the last few years, showing flashes of explosive moves that could make him a very good pass rusher. "He's going to have a great year, and he's watched the great edges in front of him — Mike Morris, Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor — and they all go through this whole same process of put your head down and work and great nutrition," Sherrone Moore said. "… He's followed the same thing, so we're super ready for him to break out and have a great one." Senior Kechaun Bennett is hoping to make a move, while others are waiting their turn like those before them but appear to have very bright futures. "Aymeric Koumba, he's a guy that re- ally just started playing football, but he's going to be really good," Moore said of the 6-5, 254-pounder. "And some of these freshmen, I don't know if they're going to be playing or not, but a guy like Dominic Nichols (6-5, 251) has come in and he's had a really good spring." Senior Tyler McLaurin (6-3, 247), soph- omore Breeon Ishmail (6-3, 262), and true freshmen Devon Baxter (6-6, 235), Mason Curtis (6-4, 200) and Lugard Edokpayi (6- 6, 225) all hope to be in the mix as well. All of the Michigan linemen enter 2024 with the same goal in mind — to lead one of the best defenses in the country, again. ❑ ❱ ❱ X-FACTOR X-FACTOR Michigan has the pieces in place to offset the depth lost to the NFL, and one of the players who could have the most to gain is sophomore ENOW ETTA. He entered the program as an edge, but the coaching staff had him playing inside at times during spring camp, and his versatility could help the defense in different looks and packages under new coordinator Wink Martindale. A second-year leap could be in the cards for the Texas native. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Lou Esposito Offers Plenty As Defensive Line Coach Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore had to call an audible on his defensive line coach when his first hire, Greg Scruggs (away from Wisconsin), resigned from U-M following an alcohol-related driving arrest less than a month on the job. Enter Lou Esposito, a longtime Western Michigan coach who had been on the job at Memphis, his alma mater, for only a few months when he got the call from Michigan. Esposito has play-calling experience, which should come in handy, former Michigan All-America offen- sive lineman Jon Jansen said. "Experience is what this is … experience of being able to call plays. Whenever you get a guy who has not just head coach experience but as a defensive coordinator, as a play caller … not that [D.C.] Wink [Martin- dale] needs it, but it's just added experience to this team and defensive staff to have that experience in the line room when those guys have questions," Jansen said. "And they're going to have questions because they're a more experienced group of, 'Why are we making this call? What should be next?'" Plus, he added, Esposito's experience in recruiting the footprint of Michigan and key Midwest states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc. — is a bonus. He has relationships with the high schools and has developed relationships with the coaches and their programs. "The Western Michigan teams he helped coach were highly ranked on the defensive front, as well," Jansen said. "A lot of players were able to get accolades. He does a great job of developing the players he's recruited. I'm excited about his experience being added to this staff." And Esposito is excited to be here and ready for the next step in what's been a steady career ascension. "I'm a big believer that if you put positive out, you get positive back," he said. "I'm going to be positive. I am the luckiest person in the world. I've got four great kids, I've got a great wife. I'm coaching at the best school in America." He plans to portray that to his players, he said, with every gesture coming from a good place — "all in my heart." — Chris Balas [FYI] ❱ Michigan returns five of its top seven graded pass rushers from last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Junior defensive tackle Mason Graham ranked third with an 84.8 pass rush grade, while classmates Derrick Moore (81.0) and Kenneth Grant (78.4) ranked third and fourth, respectively. Senior edge rushers Josa- iah Stewart (76.1) and TJ Guy (75.7) were in the sixth and seventh spots among Wolverines. ❱ New defensive line coach Lou Esposito comes to Ann Arbor with a track record of develop- ing units that rack up tackles for loss. WMU finished five of the last six seasons in the top 35 nationally in tackles for loss, including fifth nationally in 2020. Michigan ranked 74th in TFLs last season with a total of 83 as a unit. ❱ Every starting edge rusher in the Jim Harbaugh era (2015-23) eventually made it to the NFL, with all but one being drafted. The list of draft- ees includes Taco Charlton (first round) and Chris Wormley (third) in 2017, Rashan Gary (first) and Chase Winovich (third) in 2019, Josh Uche (second) in 2020, Kwity Paye (first) in 2021, Aidan Hutchinson (first) and David Ojabo (second) in 2022, Mike Morris (fifth) in 2023 and Jaylen Harrell (seventh) in 2024. Braiden McGregor went undrafted this spring, but signed with the New York Jets as a priority free agent.