Jesse Minter pleased with early pass rush results, talks one ‘obsession’
Michigan is only seven practices into the fall session and has only practiced in pads a few times. Already, though, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter likes what he’s seen from a pass rush that got plenty of work in the spring and individual work this summer. The interior line and the edges are working extremely well together, Minter said, and is on the right track.
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There’s still a long way to go, Minter cautioned, and a lot won’t be known until they get to the games … maybe not even until the Big Ten season. But there are several standing out in the early going against some elite pass blockers.
“I feel good about where we’re at,” Minter said. “I think the biggest thing is you can tell the amount of work they’ve put into it in those individual sessions for themselves outside of here. So, they’ve worked really hard.
“I think the inside guys and the edge guys are working really well together, particularly Jaylen [Harrell] … he’s having a really good camp. He’s the same player from [last year] … very dependable, does everything right, but he’s also starting to become an even better rusher. I look forward to seeing his production this year.”
Harrell and transfer Josaiah Stewart are working on one side and could play situationally, Minter noted. On the other side, sophomore Derrick Moore and senior Braiden McGregor are battling for the right to start. That’s the core four, and T.J. Guy has had a good start to camp and is working toward being the fifth guy.
On the interior, senior Kris Jenkins has been an absolute monster in the early going. He’s now up to 305 pounds, still playing well against the run, but he’s taken his rushing abilities to another level. Minter had a bit of a wry grin in talking about him.
“Kris is playing really, really well right now,” Minter said. “The great thing about Kris, last year he got some accolades, he probably could have gone to the NFL and been a day two draft choice. But he came back with a mission of, ‘these are the things I want to get better at.’
“No. 1 was to really, really, hold up, I need to get my weight up to a certain amount. No. 2, to really, really be a guy they really want high up in the draft. Not at a 325 [pounds] maybe like Mazi Smith, but at a 300, 305. You need to also be an elite pass rusher. I heard him say the obsession our guys have with it, but that is real. Kris has been obsessed with being better as a pass rusher since the day he stepped back on here on campus, and it’s showing up.”
The edges and interior guys will all rotate, Minter noted, and there are plenty of options. Stewart is strong enough to play on run downs, though pass rush is his forte. The interior guys are all pushing each other and making huge strides. More than anything, Minter said, they’re playing well together.
“No. 1 is just understanding certain rushes. We may be running a game over one side where they both have to really execute,” Minter said. “We may be letting those edge guys go and the inside guys are understanding what that forces them to do. I just think Coach [Mike] Elston, Dylan Roney, those guys … the players have talked about it, but the coaches are obsessed with it, too. We want to be a team that we can pin our ears back and rush four guys and really, really affect the quarterback.
“Through seven practices, and obviously we saw some of it in spring, we like where it’s headed. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but just the vibe among the group is very, very good. Nobody’s worried about which room is going to do what.”
Making for a potentially exciting fall for the defensive line in 2023.
