The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523593
D E F E N S I V E L I N E THE WOLVERINE 2024 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 89 POSITION COACH Defensive line coach Lou Esposito is entering his first season with the program after joining the staff on March 29. He brings two decades of coaching experience to Ann Arbor and was hired away from Memphis, where he joined as co-defensive coor- dinator and defensive line coach earlier this offseason. He spent the previous 14 seasons coaching in the state of Michigan. Esposito was the defensive coordinator and defen- sive line coach at Western Michigan from 2017-23, which was his second stint in Kalamazoo. He was previously with the Broncos from 2010-12. He helped 32 players achieve All-MAC honors dur- ing his time at WMU, including seven first-teamers and 12 second-team selections. Two of his former players were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft in Braden Fiske (second round, Los Angeles Rams) and Marshawn Kneeland (second round, Dallas Cow- boys). Prior to his second stint at Western Michigan, Esposito was the first head coach in the history of Davenport University (2014-16), where he helped build the program from the ground up and was an active part in fundraising for the construction of a dedicated football building. His time at Davenport was preceded by a stint as Ferris State's defensive coordinator in 2013. Other coaching stops along the way include the Memphis XPlorers (AFL) from 2002-03 and Saint Joseph's Col- lege, serving as defensive coordinator in 2004 and head coach from 2005-09. RETURNING PLAYERS BROOKS BAHR • DT So. • Lake Forest, Ill. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 298 • Did not see game action in 2023. • Combined for 95 tackles, 15 stops for loss, 5 sacks and 1 forced fumble in his junior and senior seasons at Loyola Academy. • Chicago Sun-Times All-Area team as a senior. • Tabbed as a three-star recruit and the 12th-best player in Illinois by the On3 Industry Ranking. KECHAUN BENNETT • EDGE Sr. • Suffield, Conn. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 257 • Made 11 appearances with 3 tackles and 1 tackle for loss in 2023. • Named Scout Team Defensive Player of the Week vs. Purdue Nov. 4. • 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 Sr. • Detroit Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 296 • Appeared in 14 games with 27 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 passes defended and 1 forced fumble in 2023. • Had career bests of 4 tackles vs. Bowling Green, 3 solo stops at Penn State and 2 pass breakups at Minnesota last season. • 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 tack- les. 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 2023 14/0 27 5.5 1 Totals 30/0 43 5.5 1 CAMERON BRANDT • DT So. • Chatsworth, Calif. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 277 • Played in 14 games with 4 tack- les in 2023. • Produced 55 tackles with 4 sacks as a prep senior at Sierra Canyon High and made 52 stops including 11 for loss with 5.5 sacks his junior campaign. • Rated a three-star prospect, the No. 407 overall recruit, No. 46 defensive lineman and 34th-best player in California per the On3 Industry Ranking. ENOW ETTA • DT So. • Keller, Texas Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 295 • Appeared in three games as a freshman, making 1 tackle. • Made 122 tackles, including 34 for loss with 20 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 2 touchdowns as a prep senior at Covenant Christian Academy. • Tallied 124 tackles with 30 stops for loss and 22.5 sacks (most among all players in Texas) as a junior. • Named a PrepStar Top 350 All-American, checking in at No. 82. • Two-time Division III, District 1 Defensive Player of the Year. • Selected to the Polynesian Bowl. • Slotted as a four-star, the No. 123 overall player and No. 15 defensive lineman nationally and 22nd-best prospect in Texas by the On3 Industry Ranking. MASON GRAHAM • DT Jr. • Anaheim, Calif. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 318 • Appeared in 13 games with 13 starts last season, making 36 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 3 quarterback hurries, 1 pass defended, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. • Named a second-team All-American by Sporting News. • An All-Big Ten selection (first team, coaches; third team, media) as well as an Academic All-Big Ten honoree. • Shared U-M's Woodley-Graham Award as the team's top defensive lineman or outside linebacker with classmate Kenneth Grant. • Selected as the 2023 Rose Bowl Game Defensive MVP in the win against Alabama. • Competed in all 14 games with two starts in 2022, registering 27 tackles with 2.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback hurry. • Shared U-M's 2022 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, helping the team win the league title as a junior. • 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 2023 13/13 36 7.5 3.0 Total 27/15 63 10.0 5.5 SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 51 Brooks Bahr DL 6-5 298 So. — Devon Baxter EDGE 6-6 235 Fr. — Manuel Beigel DL 6-5 280 Fr. 52 Kechaun Bennett EDGE 6-4 257 Sr. 26 Rayshaun Benny DL 6-4 296 Sr. 91 Cameron Brandt DL 6-4 277 So. — Mason Curtis EDGE 6-4 200 Fr. — Lugard Edokpayi EDGE 6-6 225 Fr. 96 Enow Etta EDGE 6-5 295 So. 55 Mason Graham DL 6-3 318 Jr. 78 Kenneth Grant DL 6-3 339 Jr. 42 TJ Guy EDGE 6-4 250 Sr. — Ted Hammond DL 6-5 265 Fr. 92 Ike Iwunnah DL 6-3 313 Sr. 58 Breeon Ishmail EDGE 6-3 262 So. 90 Aymeric Koumba EDGE 6-5 254 So. 89 Alessandro Lorenzetti DL 6-5 301 Jr. 27 Tyler McLaurin EDGE 6-3 247 Sr. 8 Derrick Moore EDGE 6-3 258 Jr. 33 Dominic Nichols EDGE 6-5 251 Fr. — Deyvid Palepale DL 6-3 305 Fr. 95 Trey Pierce DL 6-2 300 So. 0 Josaiah Stewart EDGE 6-1 245 Sr. — Owen Wafle DL 6-2 280 Fr.