The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 81 Martindale: "I think there are going to be some guys. [Grad defensive lineman] Tré Williams, for example, could ruin a practice. He's back in the backfield. The two transfers — him and [grad lineman] Damon [Payne] — they've just got to get used to the system and how we play. Rayshaun is obviously going to be the lead dog, and [junior lineman] Trey Pierce has changed his body. He's looking good. [Grad lineman] Ike [Iwunnah] looks good. You've got [junior lineman] Enow [Etta], and he's looking good. "[Freshman lineman] Benny Patterson just got here. I don't know how long it will take, but he'll start seeing some action in there, too. But you've really got six guys that you can rotate, and that's pretty good to have, and maybe a seventh or eighth. "[Senior edge] Derrick Moore is chang- ing his body. He looked bigger in spring ball, I thought — in a good way. [Junior edge] Cam Brandt is going to be a beast. I don't know how fast Nate Marshall is going to play as a true freshman, but he's going to play. He's got that kind of talent. We've got [grad edge] TJ [Guy], and [sophomore edge] Dom Nichols, who is really young. "It's going to be something to watch, because it's exciting to see who is going to jump up and be the guys. Right now, be- sides Rayshaun, you could flip a coin on everybody else, on who is going to start. I don't mean that in a bad way. They're not first-rounders, but they could be as high as second, depending on the year they have, or fifth-rounders. But we've got more guys who are that way." The Wolverine: Can you give some more insight into the linebackers beyond the inside players? Martindale: "[Sophomore linebacker] Cole Sullivan had a good spring. [Junior linebacker] Troy Bowles, who we got from Georgia, didn't practice in the spring, but he looks good. He had his shoulder worked on. [Freshman linebacker] Chase Taylor, [freshman linebacker Nathaniel] Owusu[- Boateng], who's got a foot [injury] and needs to get another screw put in because it didn't work the last time, whatever that reason was. They're all going to be special team players, and in that room, the talent level has gone up immensely since last year." The Wolverine: Would you care to make a prediction on how grad safety Rod Moore comes back from injury? Martindale: "I just don't know. From what I've seen — and you saw the same clip from when he was running on the field — it's hard when you've been out that long, to bring it back. How fast it comes back, when it comes back, I don't know. I'm looking at him as a bonus, whenever he does come back. And I'm also prepared that he might not come back. "You just don't know which way it's going to go. It's going to be a tough road for him, because he's had two different surgeries. We'll see." The Wolverine: Beyond him, what are the strengths and concerns regarding this secondary? Martindale: "In college football and pro football, the more corners you get, the better you are. We've just got to really watch the miles we put on them in train- ing camp at the corner position. "We might have to do the same thing we did last year at the end, with Makari [Paige] at the nickel, play with a bigger body there on first and second down. Then there's a third-down package where you put an ac- tual corner there. They're all taking reps in there. Zeke already played there. [Sopho- more transfer cornerback] Tevis Metcalf, he's a wild card. He's a fighter, an under- sized guy, but I wouldn't flinch at putting him in the game. He competes." The Wolverine: Who are your take- charge guys right now? Martindale: "You start at linebacker, with Ernie. TJ wants to be a leader and he's pretty close. He still has some things he's got to get right for himself, but he's a take-charge guy up front. Rayshaun Benny is that way. In the back end, no one jumps out. You know who is going to become a leader here, although it might take two or three games? [Junior transfer defensive back] TJ Metcalf, who trans- ferred from Arkansas. He gets it, and he knows football." The Wolverine: Is there more pressure early in the season to hold teams down, given all the new personnel on the of- fense, including the quarterback? Martindale: "Last year, the momen- tum that we had, part of the reason was we seemed to know what to expect. They understood the challenges going into ev- ery game. I don't think there's more pres- sure. There's going to be more excitement, because of [freshman quarterback] Bryce [Underwood]. You're going to see more kids standing on the sideline, watching their play, because of his skill set." The Wolverine: What could make this team a Big Ten contender and one that has a chance at the College Football Playoff? Martindale: "We can't get caught up in the hype of having the quarterback we have. We still need to stay true to our roots — playing good defense and running the football. Everybody throws out the term complementary football. Complementary football is 'The Team, The Team, The Team.' We've said that for years. That's all it is. "For us to be good, the offense has to be good, and special teams have to be good. It all has to click for us to have a good team. "The faster the other two come — which I think they will — the better. The recruits we brought in are good football players, and they get to be on special teams. I think it's going to be fun to watch in that way." The Wolverine: People still marvel at 13-10 over the Buckeyes in Columbus. How did you pull that off? Martindale: "It was the players' game. I said that going into it, that it was their game. K.G. [Kenneth Grant] and Mason [Graham] and Benny, those guys and all our good players played really well. Ma- kari Paige probably played his best game as a Wolverine. He had the big hit on the quarterback, he had the interception in the red zone, and he did some other things to snatch some coverages. He made sure everybody was exact on that. "That's what it was. The players held each other accountable. They understood the importance of every rep in that game. They were going to fight. "We physically beat them up." ❑ "Everybody throws out the term complementary football. Complementary football is 'The Team, The Team, The Team.' We've said that for years. That's all it is." MARTINDALE