Michigan front-seven depth a 'work in progress,' but it'll be 'exciting to watch' who emerges

Michigan Wolverines football lost three of its four starters on the defensive line, but the core four up front — junior defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham, junior EDGE Derrick Moore and senior EDGE Josaiah Stewart — all played significant roles in 2023, even though Graham is the only returning starter.

According to Phil Steele, the Wolverines have the No. 4 defensive line in the nation, but lack of proven players beyond the starters holds the unit back, with the analyst writing, “unlike last year, the unit’s question mark is depth.”

Michigan dealt with some injuries in spring ball, hindering the staff from crafting a solidified outlook on the unit. At tackle, senior Rayshaun Benny is still recovering from his injury suffered in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl but is expected back for fall camp, and sophomore Trey Pierce missed time. Sophomore Enow Etta, meanwhile, was moved from EDGE to the interior, and the Wolverines targeted (but did not land) D-tackles in the spring transfer portal window.

Senior TJ Guy and sophomore Cameron Brandt appear to be the backups at edge rusher, but the uncertainty comes more at tackle.

“I think that’s still a work in progress,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said at the Champions Circle Leaders Series with former U-M tight end Jake Butt. “I think that we’ve got some young kids coming in, we’ve got some young kids that are already here.

“Rayshaun’s health, how fast he can come back, that’s gonna be a big factor to it. We’ve got some guys that really had some good springs. Enow had a really good spring, so I’m excited to see him play. [Senior tackle] Ike [Iwunnah] had a good spring. And we’ll see what happens when we get to training camp with that, as far as the depth.”

Last season, Michigan had nine defensive linemen play 244 or more defensive snaps, with its depth being one of the team’s strengths and proving crucial late in big games. This year, the Wolverines may not have that many capable bodies up front, but Martindale is confident the staff can manage what they have.

“There are a couple different things you can take care of depth, and that’s part of the system,” Martindale explained. “You can play different personnels, where let’s say we have four defensive linemen that can really play. We can work our personnels against what most teams … You don’t have a whole lot of two-back teams anymore — that’s NFL, that’s college, that’s high school. So you can work a lot of different personnels to get people up and playing with who’s healthy and be able to have some backups there.

“I do think that initially, early in the season, our D-line is going to have to play more than what they played last year, until we get guys rolling. I think we’re gonna be just fine up front. We’ve got a great D-line coach in Lou Esposito, who’s got coordinator experience. He’s been fantastic with those guys.”

Michigan also has a question mark at linebacker behind juniors Jaishawn Barham, a Maryland transfer, and Ernest Hausmann, who ranked third on the team with 46 tackles a year ago. Junior Jimmy Rolder and senior Jaydon Hood are the two closest to hitting the field.

“BJ [position coach Brian Jean-Mary] with the linebackers, because we need to work on some depth at inside linebacker, as well,” Martindale continued. “Our EDGE guys, you’ve got the first two who played most of the time last year when the game was on the line, that will be back. We gotta find out who’s gonna be the next two guys with that.”

Martindale isn’t worried about Michigan players stepping up — he’s confident there will be enough.

“So it’s gonna be exciting to watch, it’s gonna be exciting to follow, it’s gonna be interesting to see,” Martindale said. “It’s different for me, going from pro to college, because in pro, although it’s a lot longer season than it is in college, you have three preseason games. You have no preseason games in college, and the second one out of the gate against Texas is gonna be a huge game for these guys.

“So we have to get into training camp and get into the summer and get those guys ready to roll. And I think they are. I think we’re gonna have some young kids step up that no one’s even heard of yet, too, so that’s gonna be fun to watch.”