ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It was something of a surprise in spring ball when new Michigan football head coach Kyle Whittingham noted that the strength of the team was the defensive line. The unit had a fair amount of attrition, with three starting edge rushers and three starting tackles all departing the program for the NFL or via graduation this offseason. Yet, with Trey Pierce, Enow Etta, Jonah Lea'ea, and others leading the charge, it appears that the interior of the unit is in good hands (the same could be said of the exterior).
And if there's anyone who is particularly pleased with the tackles' progress, it's position coach Larry Black.
Black was a late addition to the coaching staff, having come aboard after Lou Esposito departed for the Baltimore
Ravens. And thus far, what he's seen in fall camp is a unit that's doing exactly what they're being tasked with and continuing to look like one of the elite position groups on the team.
"Man, it's been a great first three weeks of camp," Black said. "The guys have attacked every day and showed up to compete. What you see is a group that's gelling together really well, playing with their hands, playing with a base, being able to kind of reset the line of scrimmage. And just show up every day and work, man. That's all we ask.
"And it's been a physical grind camp. And it's only the third week, so it's only going to crank up from here. But those guys have been able to step up and answer the bell. And they've been having a really good camp so far.So we've got to keep it rolling."
So what is it about that trio of Pierce, Etta, and Lea'ea that stands out? Black detailed the three, sharing their progress since he arrived on campus in February.
"All right, we'll start with Trey, man," Black said. "Trey's a man. He has taken steps. Since I got here in February, he's just been getting better and better every week just as far as detail in the run game, detail in the rush game, getting to his counter moves, and then being way more vocal and being a leader. We're running gassers at the end of practice today. You see him continue to push the tempo and take steps.So I've been very pleased with the steps he's taken in the run game, leadership, and in his pass rush.
"Enow -- same thing, man. Just gets better every day, shows up to work, challenges himself, and able to continue to correct the mistakes he makes. And he's always looking for what he needs to get better at, man.And that's one thing I appreciate about him. He'll call you and say, 'Coach, what happened today?' And he takes the correction and applies it.
"Jonah, man, he gets better every day just as far as his technique and being able to understand how we're playing certain blocks and how we're rushing the passer. So those three guys, man, they show up every day. They work their tails off. And I'm very blessed to coach those guys and go from there. But they attack every day."
Junior tackle Deyvid Palepale is expected to be the fourth player in the D-tackle rotation, but there has been some question about who would be the fifth.
Whittingham had said in spring ball that they had five players who they could count on, but beyond Palepale, it wasn't clear who that might be. Yet, in recent weeks, sophomore Bobby Kanka -- the in-state product from Howell -- has been making waves.
Black sees a bright future for him as soon as this year, and he shared what he's liked about Kanka's progress.
"Man, Bob has the same thing, just like those," Black said. "He's kind of following the footsteps of those older guys. But he shows up, man. He has put good weight on himself where it's naturally helping him in the inside with the double teams and the combo blocks. But same thing for him, man. You see a guy who wants to strike and use his hands and play with pad level more consistent and dominate his gap. And I always tell those guys, especially as a young guy, if you want to play right away, show 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 and attack everything daily. And Bob's a smart kid, too. He's always going to know his assignment and his alignment and be able to operate from there. So he's been crushing it."
So could Palepale and Kanka truly see more time on task this year and break into the rotation as anticipated? Black is hopeful, if not outright optimistic.
"Oh, yeah, those guys have a shot, man," Black said. "Those guys, like, the more depth we have on our D-line, the more fresher we're going to be, and the more you're going to see us be able to play how we need to play, to play at a high level, to be one of the top units in the country. So those guys need to keep us rolling and keep us going. So those guys have been crushing it and keep building."
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan football defensive tackles finding their rhythm in fall camp
