Michigan DT, unsung hero Mazi Smith excelling at 'getting under peoples' skin'

Michigan football redshirt freshman defensive tackle Mazi Smith doesn’t get his name talked about as often as Aidan Hutchinson or David Ojabo, but he mans the middle of the Wolverines’ line and is a major piece to the unit’s success.

A 6-3, 326-pound mammoth, Smith often does the dirty work, taking on double teams and plugging holes so his linebackers or defensive ends can clean up. Going up against opposing centers and guards, Smith likes to get in the head of the man across from him.

“I’m the guy that gets under peoples’ skin,” Smith said, responding to a question on which Michigan offensive lineman gives him the most trouble in practice.

“Just trying to come and become the type of player that I envision one day. I’m not there yet, but it’ll come.”

RELATED

• Wolverine TV: Michigan players talk Orange Bowl prep, Joe Moore Award, more

• Pre-bowl report card: Grading Michigan’s defensive position groups and special teams

It’s coming along quite nicely so far. Smith has racked up 35 tackles, including 2.5 stops for loss, four pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. His 20 pressures rank third on the defense, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), which is tied for the 10th-most among Big Ten interior defensive linemen, and he ‘wins’ 10 percent of his pass rush attempts.

For those who weren’t playing close attention to Michigan football the last two seasons, Smith seemingly came out of nowhere. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native had played just 58 career snaps before the 2021 campaign, finding himself just outside of the rotation while striving to get in the proper physical shape.

He and others have taken big steps forward this season. He’s one of several former role players who are now starters and stalwarts.

Smith said before the season that he wanted the line to be the “teeth” of the defense. It’s played out that way, with the group setting the tone for a unit that ranks top 25 against both the rush and pass and is allowing the fourth-fewest points per game in college football (16.1).

“Going into this season, we all knew that, if we wanted to win games, we had to play well,” Smith said of the defensive line. “We had to make sure that we stepped up for everybody that needed us to. Carrying that on, I can’t really explain it, because it’s something that you’ve been longing for, something that you’ve wanted to do your entire life, but it’s something you expected yourself to do when the time comes. So, you can’t be like, ‘Oh, I did this. I did that.’ It’s like, this is what I was supposed to do.

“We all came together and decided what we wanted to do, what we wanted it to look like. Personality wise, we’ve all got our differences, but at the end of the day, we come together as a unit and get the job done.

“Ability wise, everybody has great abilities, but we all use them and they show at the right time in the game when we need it the most — especially ‘Jabo and Aidan and [redshirt freshman defensive end] Mike Mo’[rris], everybody. Everybody’s shining at the right time.”

While the defensive line was a question mark coming into the year, its achievements haven’t surprised those inside the building.

“Having success is expected,” Smith explained. “We kind of set that when the new staff came in, so I think we’re doing everything we’re supposed to be doing.

“When you’ve got good players on defense, you’ve got to make the plays. When the plays come, you’ve got to make them. I think it’s something we expected ever since we started practicing in fall camp.”

Smith credits some of the Michigan defensive line’s success to the players they practice against on a daily basis, which was named the country’s top offensive line room with the Joe Moore Award. Smith had a big smile when discussing his teammates on the other side of the ball, but he didn’t want to take any responsibility for their award.

“Personally, I don’t want to take any credit,” he said. “You probably do a little bit — iron sharpens iron — but they earned that and went out and did that against other opponents. That’s the important part. They come out in practice with a chip on their shoulder because it’s back and forth in there. You’ve got a physical O-line and D-line playing. I’m really happy for them. They deserve it, man.”