The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543845
APRIL 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 BY CHRIS BALAS RETURNING STARTER Senior DT Trey Pierce Pierce earned honorable mention All- Big Ten honors last year after notching 30 tackles (1 for loss with 2 quarterback hurries), and he's considered one of the Wolverines' most consistent returning defenders. The 6-foot-2, 310-pounder shared Most Improved Player honors on de- fense last year and is a fantastic run stopper. His overall run defense grade is the best among all returning Michigan defenders per Pro Football Focus. The hope is to get him to be more disruptive as an interior pass rusher this year. OTHER EXPERIENCED RETURNEES Junior DT Manuel Beigel Beigel started to get more run as a backup later in the season, playing in three games on the D-line. The 6-5, 312-pounder could be in line for a big- ger role this year. Senior EDGE Cameron Brandt More was expected of the 6-4, 270-pounder last year. He played in all 13 games, starting one, and notched 22 tackles, including 1.5 for loss with 0.5 sacks after making 3 sacks a year earlier. They'll need more from him this year. Senior DT Enow Etta Etta appeared in all 13 games along the defensive line last year and was a priority to bring back after he notched 15 tackles (2.5 for loss with 0.5 sacks). He has two years of eligibility remain- ing, and the Wolverines need him to take a big step forward in productivity this season. Sophomore EDGE Nate Marshall Marshall played in 11 games and notched 6 tackles during the 2025 campaign. He's a high-motor guy who boasts tremendous potential as a pass rusher. Junior EDGE Dom Nichols Nichols played in 12 games at edge, recording 19 tackles with 5.5 for loss and 1 sack. He's potentially explosive as a pass rusher, and more productivity is expected of him this year. KEY NEWCOMERS Senior EDGE John Henry Daley A 6-4, 255-pound edge coming off a lower-leg injury (but expected to be good to go this season), Daley spent one season at BYU (2023) and two at Utah (2024-25). He started 11 games last year and was a 2025 All-American and Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist. The first-team All-Big 12 selection racked up 48 tackles, including 17.5 for loss and 11.5 sacks, and forced 2 fum- bles. He was tied for first in the FBS in TFLs and second in the nation in sacks when he went down. Junior DT Jonah Lea'ea The 6-5, 285-pounder is a bit under- sized and will need to add some weight, but he started all 13 games for Utah last year and notched 38 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and a sack. He figures to be a key piece in the defensive line rotation for the 2026 Wolverines. DEFENSIVE LINEMEN Edge rusher John Henry Daley was a first-team Walter Camp All-American at Utah last year, racking up 17.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. On3 rated him as the No. 12 player overall in the transfer portal. PHOTO COURTESY UTAH ATHLETICS ANALYSIS This position group is one of the team's bigger question marks heading into the 2026 season, and the campaign could hinge on its progress. Keeping Pierce and Etta in the fold was a priority in the offseason — mission accomplished — but the Wolverines' coaches are going to need to develop depth here. Former Utah assistant Lewis Powell will oversee the ends and serve as defensive run game coordinator, having coached under Kyle Whittingham since 2015. He tutored the entire D-line there for three seasons and the defensive ends for seven. Larry Black comes over from Vander- bilt to handle the tackles, and he's another highly regarded addition. "I believe we have two of the best defensive tackles in college football right now," new de- fensive coordinator Jay Hill said on the "In the Trenches" podcast in February. "Enow Etta, Trey Pierce … those guys can play, and I think they've been very well coached. "Cam Brandt is a really, really good defensive end — Dom Nichols, too. There are some guys in the front I'm excited about." Lea'ea and Daley will be great additions, too, and Hill seems to have a plan for them. "First and foremost, you've got to stop the run," he said. "But we want to stop the run by being in different spots that the offense doesn't know where we're at. I don't want O-linemen teeing off on our D-linemen."