The Wolverine

2025 Michigan Football Preview

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 M E N THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 91 tackles with 1 forced fumble. • Retained his redshirt since he played in only four regular-season contests. • Attended Oakdale High School, helping lead the program to the 2023 3A Maryland state championship and a 14-0 record in 2023. • Oakdale's all-time leader in sacks (27), tack- les for loss (51) and QB pressures (143), recording 206 career tackles. • Three-star recruit, No. 424 overall player, No. 40 edge nationally and No. 15 player in Maryland, per On3 Industry Ranking. DEYVID PALEPALE • DT So. • Anchorage, Alaska Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 335 • Didn't see game action as a freshman in 2024. • Played two seasons at Hempfield High in Pennsyl- vania and transferred to Manheim High as a senior. • Played in two games in 2023 before suffer- ing a season-ending injury. • Recorded 49 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and 1 interception as a junior; also had 2 fumble recoveries with 1 TD return. • Named a Polynesian Bowl All-Star. • On3 Industry Ranking of three stars and the No. 77 defensive lineman in the class. TREY PIERCE • DT Jr. • Chicago Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 315 • Competed in 13 outings with one start (against Ala- bama) in 2024, notching 7 tackles. • Appeared in 13 games, making 2 total tack- les, in 2023. • Notched 58 tackles with 19 stops for loss and 3.5 sacks as a senior at Brother Rice. • Named first-team all-state by The News-Ga- zette (Champaign-Urbana) and to the Chi- cago Sun-Times All-Area team as a senior. • A three-star prospect, the No. 53 defensive lineman in the country and No. 7 player in Illinois, per the On3 Industry Ranking. NEWCOMERS DAMON PAYNE JR. • DT Gr. • Belleville, Mich. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 303 • Spent four years at Alabama from 2021-24, before trans- ferring to Michigan. • Competed in 12 games with one start in 2024, generating 14 tackles, including a half-stop for loss, and a fumble recovery. • Recorded 9 tackles, including 1 for loss and a half-sack, in 14 contests in 2023 … Com- peted against Michigan in the Rose Bowl, registering 1 tackle in the overtime loss to the Wolverines. • Played in six games, recording 7 tackles, including a half-stop for loss, in 2022. • Redshirted and did not see any game action as a freshman in 2021. • Selected to the Under Armour All-American Game. • A four-star prospect, Payne was ranked as the No. 49 overall player and seventh-best defensive lineman in the 2021 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. He was the No. 2 player in Michigan. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2022* 6/0 7 0.5 0 2023* 14/0 9 1 0.5 2024* 12/1 14 0.5 0 Total 32/1 30 2 0.5 * at Alabama TRÉ WILLIAMS • DT Gr. • Windsor, Conn. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 315 • Spent five seasons at Clem- son (2020-24) before trans- ferring to U-M. • Played in 44 games with four starts and tallied 35 tackles — including 10 for loss with 4 sacks — during his career with the Tigers. • Recorded 14 tackles, including 3 for loss and 2 sacks, and 2 pass breakups in 14 games with three starts in 2024. Both of his sacks came in the CFP versus Texas. • Saw action in five outings in 2023, making 1 tackle, including a half-stop for loss. • Competed in 12 contests in 2022, collecting 6 tackles, including 1.5 for loss with 1 sack. • Appeared in 11 clashes with one start in 2021, tallying 10 tackles, 4 TFL and 1 sack. • Played in two games in 2020, contributing 4 tackles and 1 TFL. • Participated in the 2019 Under Armour All- American Game and was named a Max- Preps first-team All-American as a senior. • Rated as a four-star recruit, the No. 107 overall prospect and No. 15 defensive line- man in the nation, as well as the third-best player in Washington, D.C., in the 2020 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks 2020* 2/0 4 1 0 2021* 11/1 10 4 1 2022* 12/0 6 1.5 1 2023* 5/0 1 0.5 0 2024* 14/3 14 3 2 Total 44/4 35 10 4 * at Clemson JULIUS HOLLY • EDGE Fr. • Alpharetta, Ga. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 224 • Played in only two games as a prep senior due to injury, after totaling 57 tackles with 8 for loss his junior year. • 2024 Atlanta Touchdown Club preseason All-State se- lection • Checked in as a three-star re- cruit, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Rated as the No. 41 edge in the class and No. 55 player in Georgia. BOBBY KANKA • DT Fr. • Howell, Mich. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 289 • Became the first-ever fresh- man to start on varsity at Howell High School and went on to post 38 tackles and 8 sacks as a senior. • First-team all-state pick by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press and MLive. • Selected to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. • The On3 Industry Ranking listed him as a three-star and the No. 57 defensive line- man in the country, and No. 10 player in Michigan. NATE MARSHALL • EDGE Fr. • Oak Park, Ill. Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 240 • Selected to the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl. • Named 2024 Illinois High School Football Coaches As- sociation Class 7A first-team all-state. • The four-star recruit was listed as the No. 40 prospect and No. 4 edge in the nation, along with the No. 3 player in Illinois, per the On3 Industry Ranking. TRAVIS MOTEN • DT Fr. • Louisville, Ky. Ht.: 6-6 • Wt.: 296 • Tallied 95 tackles, including 30 for loss with 19.5 sacks, as a prep senior. • A four-star prospect, Moten ranked as the No. 301 player and No. 29 defensive lineman in the nation in 2025, ac- cording to the On3 Industry Ranking. BENNY PATTERSON • DT Fr. • Newburgh, Ind. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 240 • Credited with 70 tackles — including 14 for loss and 7 sacks — as a prep senior. • Ranked as a four-star pros- pect, the No. 280 overall player and No. 31 edge in the 2025 class, per the On3 Industry Ranking.

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