DL's currently on Michigan's roster over 300 lbs.
Having an undersized D Line has probably been Michigan's biggest area of need since Bryan Mone and Maurice Hurst left (I know Hurst was under 300, but it didn't seem like he was, seemed like he always got push, and was never run over) as we all know. Exhibit A of this area was last years Wisconsin's game.
Michigan now has seven D Lineman over 300 lbs. I'm hoping their play can approach what Michigan had in Mone and Hurst.
Here they are in alphabetical order:
August 21st, 2021 at 11:26 PM ^
The bigger they are, the more depth you need….so…here’s to hoping our converted o-linemen and journeyman transfer are decent?
August 22nd, 2021 at 8:03 AM ^
True.
And the OP should have noted that Hurst was a 3-Tech DT whose role was to get penetration more so than to hold up blockers. A 3-Tech won’t suffer from only being in the 280 range like a NT in a 4 man front or any DL in a 3 man front given the stark difference in role and assignments.
As I’ve noted here in the past, I was a 3-Tech in a 4 man college front until our new DC implemented a 3-4 and I got my ass handed to me as an undersized end.
So much more to DT than simply size, though in a 3-4 or 3-3-5, I’d argue it’s more important than in a 4 man front. Fortunately, it seems UM has some DL who seem to have the size.
August 22nd, 2021 at 8:51 AM ^
I know Hurst wasn't a nose. But I listed him because he never got run over. Welschof, who is a tad heavier than Hurst, gets run over.
Even though there's seven guys over 300 in the D Line room, it doesn't mean they can play. I'm hoping they can approach how Hurst and Mone played.
Here's some videos of Mone, holding his ground, even against double teams:
August 22nd, 2021 at 8:53 AM ^
If you (bamf_16) start writing Ops about the DL I promise I’ll be reading them. Pinky promise.
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:53 AM ^
That should work good against team that run hurry up spreads. ??♂️
August 22nd, 2021 at 11:08 AM ^
Meanwhile Marquan McCall and Justin Rogers are primed to be huge contributors for UK this year. 10 yrs ago you could never imagine Kentucky football plucking two highly coveted DL from the state of Michigan. So disappointing.
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:37 PM ^
Were they highly ranked coming out of HS?
August 22nd, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^
McCall (class of 2018) was a 4 star and #198 on 247 (#3 in Michigan).
Rogers (class of 2020) was a 4 star and #52 on 247 (#1 in Michigan).
August 22nd, 2021 at 7:03 PM ^
Both 4 Stars, both over 300, both from Oak Park High, both recruited by Steve Clinkscale.
August 23rd, 2021 at 11:37 AM ^
FFS, do we even recruit them or were they to big for the Genius Don Brown's DL???
August 21st, 2021 at 11:44 PM ^
Let's put them all on the field when it's fourth and goal.
August 22nd, 2021 at 8:53 AM ^
Sounds like you think every other team approaches 4th & goal the same way Harbaugh does...
August 21st, 2021 at 11:45 PM ^
The beef should be there to hold up against the run (against non-elite offensive lines anyway). I think the question will be can they generate any pass rush up the middle. If the answer is no, this defensive line's ceiling is in the neighborhood closer to 2018 (probably not that good though), than it is to 2016.
August 22nd, 2021 at 1:40 AM ^
Someone would need some high quality medicinal to even think this D-line was in the same area code as 2016. Wormley, Glasgow, Hurst, Taco, Gary, Mone, Chase, and Godin was easily the best DL this program has ever (and probably will ever) have.
That being said I could see our DL being pretty good this year. Hinton in a 4i is better than him in a 1 or a 3. If Smith can be a space eater at nose, that’s a good start. Jeter, well like I’ve said, I’ve never seen a DL with his size, base, and get off consistently get blown off the ball. My hope is he can have a Will Campbell-like redemption final year.
August 22nd, 2021 at 7:05 AM ^
‘16 wasn’t better than ‘85 or ‘97.
August 22nd, 2021 at 8:48 AM ^
There's an argument to be made for each of those units, but I'm not going to make it! They were all special and very fun to watch. Though I would argue that the '97 DL benefitted from having a defensive backfield that included Charles freakin' Woodson.
August 23rd, 2021 at 4:04 PM ^
Maybe not from a pure production standpoint (that I don’t know, but obviously there’s several other factors that would go into that anyways), but I can’t imagine Michigan has ever had another line where 7 guys were drafted and played in the NFL like 16 had. They rotated two units and 8 guys that season and 7 of them made it the league. That’s wild.
August 22nd, 2021 at 7:28 AM ^
In a 3-4 scheme, you’re really asking your DL to take on multiple blocks and free up your linebackers to clean up. Any pass rush you get from them is just gravy on top.
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:01 AM ^
Until D Line play improves these beatings will continue.
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:47 AM ^
Ah yes, gotta love The Narratives and the eternal optimism of Michigan fans.
(op naming 2 300+ Pound DLs but conceding that one wasn’t actually over 300 pounds but now that we have multiple 300+ pound DLs we’re good to go. ?)
August 22nd, 2021 at 6:36 AM ^
People thinking weight equals success are going to be disappointed.
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:10 AM ^
I agree, but there's an obsession with size on this board.
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:25 AM ^
I think it's PTSD from getting run over by Wisconsin year after year, the memory of putting Ben Mason on the DL, and putting a standing Jordan Glasgow in the box. Size won't solve this problem, but if they have some development with the size, it'll make a big difference.
August 22nd, 2021 at 11:38 AM ^
I can remember being at the 2015 Michigan/Utah game with my father. He’s a lifelong Kentucky basketball fan but goes with me as a father and son because I love Michigan. He actually gets into the games and roots for Michigan. Anyway, we were noticing the size difference all over the field. My Dad was like your tight ends look like their linemen and your wide receivers look like their tight ends. It wasn’t every position but when they were both warming up it was noticeable. In the end, all of that didn’t matter.
August 23rd, 2021 at 7:03 AM ^
What mattered was you had a QB whose head was swimming as he’d only been on campus a few weeks and didn’t know his personnel. In crunch time he’s throwing to a sr TE with 1 career catch and freshman wr with none when 2 future draft picks (Chesson/ Darboh) were available.
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:30 PM ^
Don’t confuse Ezekiel’s weekly DL weight post with the board.
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Nick Saban likes size too. This is his 2022 NT commit:
August 22nd, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
Definitely agree with you, although I am interested to see what Jeter can do in this formation. On Brown's defense, he always struck me as a guy that was not quite stout enough to play tackle (too be fair, no one was due to inexplicable recruiting strategy), but wasn't quite explosive enough to play anchor. In this scheme he might be a great fit as a tackle that absorbs blockers and contains the run.
I'm not expecting anything extraordinary from him, but it will be interesting to see if that fits his skill set better.
August 22nd, 2021 at 6:48 PM ^
This board is about three days away from a post breaking down why this team will be title contenders because they have more starters with an even jersey number and the 97 and 06 teams had the highest concentration of even jersey numbers or something like that.
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:48 AM ^
The best DL in the NFL is Aaron Donald. I'll let you look up his size. But am glad the Brown defense is gone.
August 22nd, 2021 at 1:56 AM ^
Likewise, the two best interior DL we’ve had the past 5 years - Hurst and Glasgow (Ryan, not Jordan ugh) - both played under 300lbs here. Size doesn’t mean much without the skill and talent.
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:17 AM ^
Glasgow might not have hit 300, but he was 297 as a junior and 299 as a senior. You can't get much closer than that. Plus he was also joined by Wormley at 300 and, in 2015, Henry at > 300.
But I agree with your overall point. The key is going to be whether Hinton and Mazi show the talent we expected from them and also whether the backups can hold their own when they rotate in.
August 22nd, 2021 at 10:16 AM ^
Aaron Donald 6-1 284...but I submarined the OP here, because Donalds size was irrelevant here, because this is college for one, and jumbo DL will be very effective, and two I've been the biggest opponent of Browns tiny DL along with driving MacDonalds bandwagon here.
August 23rd, 2021 at 12:09 AM ^
Aaron Donald played ligher than his listed weight. He played at 260-270 lbs in the last couple seasons yet it didn't matter because he was unblockable at DT.
August 23rd, 2021 at 8:39 AM ^
I get what youre saying, but Aaron Donald is an all pro, athletic freak. He would have a place on most defenses in the NFL.
UMs defensive strategy calls for size up front (from what I gather). If you have a guy like AD - you find a spot for him to play. Size doesnt always matter when youre an all pro "freak" but it does when you have a core defensive philosophy that calls for it.
August 22nd, 2021 at 1:49 AM ^
When did Jack Stewart switch to DL?
August 22nd, 2021 at 6:48 AM ^
Coach Nua has five 4*s among the DL personnel. With talent, size, coach Nua and the scheme change, I believe we will see a good uptick in run stop and pressure in the near future.
August 22nd, 2021 at 8:52 AM ^
Nua coached the guys last year, too - can we not anoint him a savior type coach, just yet? Yeah, he seems to recruit better than we thought (once the DB handcuff's came off DL 'crootin), but lets watch and see how well the DL plays this year before all the praise flows out for his actual coaching prowess.
August 22nd, 2021 at 11:13 AM ^
Clinkscale’s coaching success vs Nua’s is exactly why I have less worry about cornerback than I do about the interior defensive line. Nua’s edges have been fine. He hasn’t done much to inspire when it comes to interior defensive linemen.
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:46 PM ^
4*s among the DL personnel
Haven't you been reading some commenters at this place for a couple of years? Size and Stars don't matter. Poor Nick Saban has been going about it wrong all these years.
August 23rd, 2021 at 7:23 AM ^
"Poor Nick Saban has been going about it wrong all these years."
Right, some of these experts should be coaching the DL and collect that $400,000 easy money!
August 22nd, 2021 at 7:01 AM ^
Ike's a man! He looks 40!
August 22nd, 2021 at 9:00 AM ^
Damn yall so negative about this team. I wonder why top notch kids don't come here to play for Michigan. The negative vibe put that doubt into their minds.
August 22nd, 2021 at 11:04 AM ^
Michigan is mediocre at best under Harbaugh and had a trash season last year leading to uncertainty in his new contract. That has more to do with recruits not wanting to come to AA than fan negativity. The truth hurts…
August 22nd, 2021 at 12:51 PM ^
2015 and 2016 weren't mediocre. I still say something happened to Jim Harbaugh from the 2016 Ohio St game. What exactly, I don't know. And I think the players sensed it, and it affected their play across the board. But seeing how Jim Harbaugh was at Media Day, open and animated, I think he has put whatever happened to him behind him. And I think how he is now will affect how the players play across the board.
August 22nd, 2021 at 4:03 PM ^
Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan is mediocre at best.
August 22nd, 2021 at 10:30 AM ^
They don't need girth so much as someone with Hurst's quick feet. As luck would have it, BTN was showing the 2016 loss at Kinnick last night (you know, the inflection point for the Harbaugh coaching trajectory at Michigan). Anyways, I lost track of how many times Big Mo Belly Rub was in the backfield almost instantaneously after the snap. Yes, Watley had a great game on the edges and in the flat, but our interior push was insane in that game. It's the age old story of modern college football. If you can disrupt the offensive timing, you can win.
August 22nd, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
Hurst’s timing and get off was insane. The best I’ve even seen from a interior DL for us. I remember the 17 Michigan State game (unfortunately) and there were 2 or 3 times where I assumed Hurst was offside because he was so quick into the backfield.