Defensive depth used to feel like life insurance. It sounds good, but do you really need it? Now, defensive depth has become as vital as mixing in a water at brunch. Next to a quarterback, defensive depth has emerged as the second-biggest prerequisite for a national championship.
Early on, head coach Kyle Whittingham feared Michigan did not have the required depth and tempered expectations at Big Ten Media Days. But last week, Whittingham proclaimedhis “year or two away” comments have been potentially
shortened to weeks away.
“The reason for that statement was a little bit of a shortage of depth at certain spots, but that has started — there’s been guys starting to come to the table there… Guys are starting to elevate their play and feeling much better about things than back when I made that statement.”
A few of the depth pieces like Shamari Earls have stolen headlines in the final days of fall camp. But let’s take a deeper look. Let’s go behind Earls and others such as defensive tackle Jonah Lea’ea, who are on track to be featured heavily in a rotational capacity. Let’s look at three players who will never start, but could prove as vital as H2O.
Big Daddy Kanka
For those unfamiliar with the influential rapper Big Daddy Kane, this subheading will read a little awkward. But Bobby Kanka’s game is worthy of the icon’s moniker. The 6-foot-4, 295-pound sophomore first garnered some buzz with a huge hit in the spring game, and from there, the excitement has only grown.
“He’s following the footsteps of those older guys,” defensive tackles coach Larry Black recently told reporters. “He shows up, and he’s put good weight on himself, which is naturally helping him on the inside with the double teams and the combo blocks. You see a guy who wants to strike and use his hands and play with pad level more consistently and dominate his gap. I always tell those guys, especially as a young guy: if you want to play right away, show that you can come out and dominate a double team and a base block, and then we’ll build it from there.
“So he’s been able to help himself by doing that daily. Bob’s a smart kid too — he’s always gonna know his assignment and his alignment and be able to operate from there. He’s been crushing it.”
The three-deep is unofficially set with Trey Pierce, Enow Etta and Jonah Lea’ea as the main guys. Kanka and Deyvid Palepale have emerged as the next two to give Michigan a formidable five-deep on the interior, something every coach across the country covets. If Kanka can play 15-20 high-quality snaps per game this season, it could be the difference in winning or losing one-score games.
The Werewolf
True freshman Carter Meadows is a freak. At 6-foot-7, 252 pounds, the five-star has stolen headlines left and right during fall camp. But he has shared most of those headlines with another true freshman — Tariq Boney.
Just last Thursday, defensive coordinator Jay Hill said Meadows and Boney “have done unbelievable things” despite their youth and inexperience. Meadows comes as no surprise. It would be shocking if reports weren’t coming out about the highly touted recruit. And Boney, despite being a tweener prospect, actually comes from a rich lineage of compact defensive ends at Michigan.
Standing at 6-foot-1, 243 pounds, Boney is the successor to the vertically-challenged, ultraviolet pass rushers at Michigan, which include LaMarr Woodley, Josh Uche and Josaiah Stewart. Players who look like linebackers stepping off the bus and play like F-350s when colliding with offensive tackles.
From his high school tape, there is no other way to describe Boney than a werewolf. He flies around at full speed, destroying everything in his path with endless energy and power (if he is in love with a girl named Bell or daylights as a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, we might have to seriously consider this). He plays fearlessly without becoming reckless, and that restraint is likely what’s impressing his coaches so far in fall camp.
Boney will likely only have a role as a third-down pass-rushing specialist this season, but that is an incredibly vital role, especially when closing out games and holding onto leads. Don’t be surprised if he’s howling at the moon with a quarterback’s corpse in his wake.
The Former Receiver
Michigan has three All-Conference-worthy starting corners in Jyaire Hill, Zeke Berry and Smith Snowden. Beyond the big three is a list of names; some with massive potential (Earls, as we discussed), some fighting for a second chance (Jojo Edmond) and some trying to usurp a role as a first-timer (Jamarion Vincent).
One player, fighting to escape the pit in the middle of the depth chart, has thrown his hat into the ring as an in-team transfer from the wide receivers’ room: junior I’Marion Stewart. A former three-star in the 2024 class, Stewart could never find his footing as an offensive player. Stewart, like Mike Sainristil, Tripp Welborne and many receivers before him, took his talents to the secondary.
It would be easy to dismiss the move as a death rattle before fading into obscurity, but the need for depth to emerge, coupled with wide-open competition, and Michigan’s first three-time captain since the 19th century, Rod Moore, saying Stewart looks like “a natural at DB” earlier in fall camp is noteworthy.
Stewart will already have an advanced understanding of wide receiving releases and routes, and there is a good track record, especially at Michigan, of receivers switching to defense. If Stewart can defend the run, he could be next.
