The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537777
18 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2025 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan has been dominant up front defensively the last few years, one of the reasons the Wolver- ines won a national championship and have owned Ohio State in four straight victories. Though the defense lost some outstanding talent in tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant along with edge Josaiah Stewart, the men returning — and their coaches, by many accounts — believe they have what it takes to keep the line a team strength. The U-M defense boasts six different defensive linemen that are expected to play key roles, and all weigh 296 or more pounds. Junior Trey Pierce is one of the next up after notching a career-high 38 de- fensive snaps in the 19-13 victory over Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl, and he's got plenty of help being joined by graduate students Rayshaun Benny, Tré Williams and Damon Payne. "It's super fun because you've got that constant competition, but you've also got a lot of guys who you can learn from, especially a lot of older guys in that room," Pierce told former Michi- gan lineman Jon Jansen on the In The Trenches podcast this summer. "You've got a lot of guys who can just flat-out play. We probably have six guys who could start anywhere else in the country in the D-tackle room. "It's intense, but that's what you come here for. You come to Michigan, you know you're going to be around good D-tackles. It makes everybody else better in the room." Pierce has benefited from some of the best, and this year's upperclassmen have continued to bring him along. "I learned a lot from Tré this spring," Pierce said of the Clemson transfer. "He uses leverage so well, and he's a pit bull out there. He's just stronger than ev- eryone else out there. He knows how to use leverage and angles, he's so good at things like that. "Same with Damon and Benny. They're both just two extra years in the weight room. You can learn a lot from those guys. With Benny, it's pass rush, and Damon, he's another guy with le- verage. Learning things like that from those guys has been invaluable." Williams, meanwhile, came to Michi- gan after five years at Clemson, where injuries prevented him from reaching his potential. He didn't think twice when his friend, former Michigan safety Quinten Johnson, suggested coming to U-M out of the portal. "I don't think that's the right ques- tion," Williams replied when asked why he chose the Wolverines. "I think the right question is, 'Why not come to Ann Arbor?' "You guys have everything somebody like me could want — great history of defensive tackles, defensive linemen, great defenses, great tradition with the school and the alumni base. There's no reason why I wouldn't have come here." At 23, Williams is the old man in the room, called "Unc" (short for uncle) by his linemates. He's embraced it, and he's ready to finally live up to his elite potential. "From January to the end of spring ball, I really just wanted to show every- body my work — from the coaches to my teammates, my strength coaches, the staff," Williams said. "I wanted ev- erybody in Schembechler Hall to know Tré Williams is a worker. He grinds, and we didn't miss on this guy. That's what I really focused on — leading by example. "And then after the spring, I had a meeting with my coach, He said in order for us to really take it to that next step, I need to be more vocal." He's done that, too. With the rest of them following his lead, Williams and Co. should have the U-M D-line room in good shape once again. ❱ MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Defensive Linemen Believe This Year's Group Can Uphold An Elite Tradition Graduate student Tré Williams, a 6-2, 315-pound transfer from Clemson, is expected to play a key role on what is shaping up to be a strong and deep U-M defensive line unit. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL