CHICAGO --
When Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham said in his first spring ball press conference that the strength of the team was the defensive line, it was something of a surprise. Because with several players moving on -- from edge rushers Derrick Moore and Jaishawn Barham, to tackles Rayshaun Benny, Tré Williams, and Damon Payne -- there wasn't a lot of starting-level experience returning.That's the consternation surrounding the linebackers, and yet, the defensive front is expected to be solid this season in Ann Arbor.
Of course, senior defensive tackle Trey Pierce feels good about the unit, given that he's a part of it. But his confidence comes less from himself and more about the other players who will be playing alongside hin
on the defensive interior.
He shared more at Big Ten media days.
"I feel really confident," Pierce said. "I look at guys like Deyvid Palepale. I look at guys like Jonah (Lea'ea). When Jonah started at Utah, he played 600 snaps last year. Like, he's no inexperienced guy at all. And then Enow Etta, he's going to be a freak. He's a freak show, too. Like, he's going to go crazy this year. So I'm not too concerned about the depth."
Etta was the hype beast of spring 2024, having moved inside after having come to Ann Arbor as a four-star edge rusher. Despite having gotten all of the spring accolades, the light hadn't seemed to have turned on for him in games. Yet, Pierce says he's certain that Etta is going to produce for the Wolverines this year.
"Everybody knows Enow is; he's an unreal athlete," Pierce said. "He's 320 pounds. He moves like he's 260. And I think for him, it was just like, he was an edge when he first came in. So the move to D-tackle, he has to kind of shorten his steps and get more comfortable inside, working in smaller areas. And I think this offseason, he's been doing that. So I expect him to have a great season."
Head coach Kyle Whittingham said on Thursday that he feels like the interior defensive line is five-to-six players deep in the rotation entering 2026. Of course, fall camp will have a major say about that, but he broke down who is standing out inside and who he expects to be season contributors up front.
"We got Trey Pierce, who's here, one of our captains, big physical defensive tackle," Whittingham said. "Enow Etta, just a monster of a kid. He's 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, explosive and a really effective pass rusher for big guys. You get a lot of big guys that can take up space and eat up blocks that aren't real effective rushing the passer, but Enow is a very good pass rusher, so we're excited about him.
"Jonah Lea'ea, who we brought with us from Utah, he's a proven commodity and a really active athletic lineman. Deyvid Palepale really came into his own this spring and really started; the light switch started to go on for Deyvid. Let's see, we've got (Ted) Hammond and who else? Yeah, Bobby Kanka. We feel like we've got five or six guys and four for sure that can roll through there and win games for us."
Fall camp is set to begin for the maize and blue next week with eyes on the 2026 season opener against Western Michigan on September 5.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football finds depth on defensive line
