Michigan football buzz growing for trio of future fixtures at EDGE
The Michigan Wolverines have developed a reputation for cranking out pass rushers in recent years, and could potentially send another to the NFL after this season in Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore.
Cultivating depth and a succession plan is critical, and the coaching staff has been working behind the scenes to do that for 2025 and beyond. A true freshman in Dom Nichols has been given the most consistent praise of the young EDGE defenders on the roster, singled out by head coach Sherrone Moore during his Monday press conference.
“Guys like Dom Nichols, he’s showing flashes here and there and he’s played, would be great for him,” Moore said referencing the potential of getting to a bowl game, and the benefits that would come with it.
Defensive line coach Lou Esposito elaborated on what has made Nichols their most exciting young defensive end behind the scenes.
“He’s special. He’s going to be special,” Esposito said during his session with the Michigan media on Wednesday. “He has gotten so much better with his hands and his IQ. He’s going to be a special player. You knew when you put him out and you say it’s pass, just go get the quarterback. You could see it. It’s like a basketball player, right? Roll the ball out. Go play one-on-one. You see he’s got great talent. But sometimes that piece doesn’t fit with the four other guys out there on a basketball court. Just like a defensive end, sometimes if you’re just a great pass rusher, you might not fit into the system because we have to stop the run. You earn the right to rush the passer by stopping the run. And his run defense has gotten so much better with his hands. It’s been awesome to watch. He’s a big 255, 260-pound kid who is going to be a man and absolutely be special. He’s going to be a special player here.”
Nichols came in with a pair of four-star EDGE players in the 2024 class in Lugard Edokpayi and Devon Baxter, who have been putting in work behind the scenes and in the Michigan strength and conditioning program to be impactful players in the future.
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[Lugard] has grown a lot,” sophomore EDGE Cam Brandt said on Tuesday. “He’s gotten stronger, more comfortable out there on the field. He and Devon, they’ve really been showing a lot. They’ve been putting on muscle, doing what they need to do, doing that extra work outside of practice to make sure that they can be ready for next year.”
The biggest key for the young Michigan pass rushers is buying into the plan to pack on pounds and develop good habits. Esposito has been impressed by the work they’ve put in thus far.
“They’re doing a great job,” Esposito said. “We go opportunity scrimmages every Monday. All those guys have gotten better. I feel like every kid, the biggest thing, for our position up front, you have to physically be ready to play. Like, that’s the biggest thing. The year you spend in the weight room, the six months, the eight months, whatever that is, it’s priceless. And what [strength coach Justin Tress] and Abigail [O’Connor] do with nutrition and Tress does with strength and conditioning, that is just as important as every rep we’re taking in practice right now.
“They’re doing a great job. You see guys getting stronger. You see guys playing with a better base. You see guys using their hands and being able to lock out. And I think that’s a big thing. So we’re excited about those guys, for sure.”
