Michigan assistant Lou Esposito breaks down emerging defensive tackles in line to earn snaps

Michigan Wolverines football defensive line coach Lou Esposito joined the program this spring and inherited one of the most talented position groups in the country. Junior defensive tackles Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham have both received preseason All-America honors by multiple publications, while senior Josaiah Stewart and junior Derrick Moore are both standout players at EDGE.

Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said entering fall camp, though, that figuring out the rotation behind the starting four would be crucial.

On the interior, senior Rayshaun Benny is slated to receive significant snaps, and he’s healthy after suffering an injury in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1. Albeit under a different defensive staff, Michigan had five tackles who played 244-plus defensive snaps last season, including Graham (442), Grant (403) and Benny (244). It’s fair to assume there’s room for another player or two to step into contributing roles.

“I don’t know if it’ll be as deep, but we have some guys that people don’t really know their names yet that are going to be good players for us,” Esposito said on the ‘In The Trenches’ podcast with host Jon Jansen. “[Senior] Ike [Iwunnah] has been doing a great job. Like, he has progressed probably the most out of everybody since I’ve been here. When I came here in the spring to where he is now is light years ahead. He still has a ton of years to grow.

“The other one is [sophomore] Enow [Etta]. Enow when I got here was 265 pounds. He’s 308 right now — and he’s not a bad body guy.”

Iwunnah hasn’t played a single down in games over three seasons at Michigan, but Martindale said in July that he “crushed” the conditioning test after having struggled with it in the past and transformed his body. Etta, meanwhile, joined the program as an EDGE but moved to the inside this spring and has drawn praise from members of the program.

The strength and conditioning program is a staple of Michigan’s team, and Iwunnah and Etta are two examples of players making huge strides in the offseason.

“I talk about it all the time in recruiting, the thing that separates Michigan from everybody else: Everybody is going to have these cool jerseys and sweet team rooms,” Esposito said. “The things that matter here that help you when it’s fourth and 2, they spare no expense. The things that help you here when you’re 35 years old and you gotta roll over and go to work because you have people in your house that are going to depend on you, they’re gonna spare no expense; they’re gonna prepare you for that.

“Michigan prepares you for the things that matter. The things that aren’t a big deal that maybe at other places it matters — and I’m not saying that’s wrong or right — here at Michigan the things that matter to make you a better man and a better football player, that’s gonna translate to the field and translate to real life, they spare no expense and they’re the best at it.”

Michigan has a challenging schedule in 2024, including early on with Fresno State (Aug. 31) and Texas (Sept. 7) being the first two games. Esposito was asked how the Wolverines will prepare to be at “peak performance” for the opener.

“It’s in camp right now. You’re getting reps, and you’re banking reps and doing things perfectly,” Esposito explained. “Playing defensive line, from the outside, is so simple that it’s hard. And I tell them all the time. When I first got here, they said, ‘Coach, you say run your hands and knockback and run your feet all the time.’ I said, ‘Because at the end of the day, that’s what you gotta do. If you’re denting the line of scrimmage and you’re changing it, it’s gonna be really good for us.’

“So those things, you always have to harp on the fundamentals, fundamentals, fundamentals. And you’re starting to see some guys, like we talk about depth, [sophomore defensive tackle] Trey Pierce is another one who played a little bit last year, who they’re starting to build that callous, they’re starting to build that toughness, they’re starting to build that grit.

“And those are the things that are gonna translate to the field, because here’s the reality of the situation, in every game and versus every opponent, I don’t care who it is, stuff’s gonna go south. Something bad is gonna happen. They’re gonna do something that we didn’t prepare for. You’re gonna be tired, it’s gonna be a six-play drive. What do you do when adversity hits? You fall back on your training, you fall back on throwing your hands, you fall back on great eyes, you fall back on good keys.

“And those are the things that are gonna help us win, and you have to do it at a high level and you have to do it now. You gotta keep proving it in practice, and that’s what we’re gonna try doing now.”