jaydon hood

Offense was yesterday. That has an explainer for the faces.

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Defensive Line

Trying Etta at tackle is good for Etta, bad for the other tackles. [David Wilcomes] 

The question we're asking is: Got any depth?

But they're acting like it's: Do we need any?

What are we hearing? We don't need much talk about the starters except reminders that they're awesome. Jaydon Hood noted they keep terking his jerb.

There's times where I might have a gap, and they might wreck it. Sometimes it's fun. It really is. Just let them work. Either they're going to get it or I'm going to clean up after them.

Probably more fun in a game than when you're trying to win the third LB job. Speaking backups, Rayshaun Benny should be back by fall camp, says Lou Esposito. Trey Pierce, our other backup tackle, was seen on crutches. It doesn't sound too serious if you ask Espo.

He's done a great job. [Since] I got to come here, he's practiced a couple times, he got dinged up a little bit. He's come back and got dinged back up. But he's really progressing. I think the biggest thing for Trey was just realizing what he can do. … He's a sponge. He's been around almost two or three times a week with me one-on-one so he's done a great job. I expect him to have a good fall, and we need him to have a good fall. We've got to build that depth.

In their absence the third team DTs have been getting more run, and edge Enow Etta, listed at 6-4/292, has been asked to try playing inside. Etta needs time to adjust, says Espo:

He's a really, really good athlete. It's just that he has to learn. As you get closer to the ball, the hand combat becomes quicker. It gets on you faster. The further away from the ball, it kind of takes a little bit of time and you can use your athletic ability out there. I think the biggest thing with him is getting some of those inside reps has really helped him on the edge. Now when you put him on the edge, some of the weaknesses that he had he doesn't have anymore in the physicality part. He's been extremely physical all spring, and he's a big part of what we're gonna do moving forward.

An insider thought Etta's "a little too trim" for this. "He's got big legs. No butt though." The only other guy being mentioned by name is the only other scholarship guy recruited to play DT.

I think Ike (Iwunnah) has done a great job this spring for us. He's played a lot of snaps.

It seems they need someone for the Goode role, and are pursuing Kent State DT CJ West for the job. West put up an 85.9 (pro caliber) last year and an 80.1 in 2022. Kent State didn't really play anybody—their FBS non-conf games were UCF and Arkansas—last season but West started against Washington, Oklahoma, and Georgia in 2022, so he's show he can hold up against P5 talent. I'm guessing they don't get involved with back-in-the-portal-again MSU DT Simeon Barrow, nor TCU's Damonic Williams, but those familiar names could help to keep other teams away from West.

As for edge, TJ Guy's name was on the tip of various tongues at Pro Day, adding to a pile of people who see him as the next in line at the DE/LB spot. Esposito's presser was more getting-to-know-you stuff so there wasn't much more to add. An insider said Guy is making it hard to judge the right tackle race because there isn't a substantial drop-off when they get a break from Josiah Stewart.

What it means? It's nice to hear from Ike finally, but they're saying too little for it to sound like he's any more than a warm body at this point. The scholarship name nobody's mentioning is Alessandro Lorenzetti, a 2022 sleeper they bumped over from offensive line when they flipped Giudice to offense. He was always a project, but if it's not happening by spring of Year 3 it's probably not.

It's too bad none of the four DTs in this year's class were able to enroll early, because they'd be getting all sorts of playing time, and we'd have an idea which among them can play. That they've moved Etta doesn't mean much for Etta other than he was willing to do it. It does mean the depth isn't where they need it to be. You can have Grant/Graham soak up more usage, but we're probably looking at a freshman getting in the back end of the rotation, with any injuries graduating that freshman to the two-deep.

Depth Chart: Expecting Michigan to pick up someone in the portal but for now…

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[After THE JUMP: I cannot get insiders to talk about anything but Barham]

Previously: Podcast 15.0A, 15.0B, 15.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. Interior OL. Defensive Interior. Edge.

LINEBACKER: LINEBACKING IS HARD

Not a Depth Chart

It's a fair bet the plurality of position-specific praying in 2022 was for the linebackers. Michigan went into the season with two playable options, one of those a true sophomore who could explode in any direction, and lost the other to a thigh injury for the whole of it. Options past Colson and NHG were Don Brown viper Michael Barrett, RB-ish Brown recruit whom Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and everybody at Michigan's spring game thought better left at RB Kalel Mullings, and freshmen. By the bowl game they were asking a former starting safety to move down.

And now? Different story. The twitching ball of azidoazide azide has reached the age of draftability. The viper used the opportunity to turn himself into a bona fide WLB. The thigh guy was sent down to Charlotte to make room for the top free agent in the portal. Last year's semi-playable freshman is now a playable sophomore trying to hold off a Don Brown doom squirrel we were getting ready to write off this time in 2022. The guy everyone wanted to play running back? He actually gets to play running back!

Depending on what happens with the immigrant infante's irises, this unit is headed towards something between pretty good and 12-15 Christmases.

SHADY'S BACK

It may or may not make a difference beyond recruiting, but the guy who rivaled Santa in gifts he's brought to Michigan reputably also knows his way around the second level.

You said five, so I'm here for five. [Barron]

Once and future Chris Partridge returned to Michigan this offseason after a rocky attempt to coordinate a defense at Ole Miss. The top recruiter among all the Harbaugh lieutenants who've come through Ann Arbor, Partridge was also the linebacking coach during the position's best years in the history of our charting. Granted, they had Devin Bush Jr. (a Partridge recruit) for most of those years. Events not related to Bush:

• Jabrill Peppers (a Partridge player in HS) was a Heisman candidate as a Viper.
• Ben Gedeon developed into a solid starter.
• Mike McCray hit his ceiling.
• Devin Gil became a serviceable Big Ten player.
• Josh Ross had an extremely promising early career.
• Khaleke Hudson did too.

Things got a lot worse in the years after Partridge. One reason to think they might take a leap forward is there isn't another LBs coach in the MGoBlog era with that kind of track record. Another is they have an elite athlete on hand who's badly in need of coaching.

[After THE JUMP: Back again.]

This morning we covered the fall football bits on the offensive side of the ball, now in the afternoon we pivot to the defense. As a whole there's more real buzz in this piece than offense, but not a dramatic difference. It's been a relatively quiet camp so far. 

Defensive tackle 

What we want to hear: Kris Jenkins is approaching Mo Hurst territory (*gasp*), Mason Graham is making a mighty leap towards superstar status, Kenneth Grant is our beefy behemoth that cannot be moved, while Rayshaun Benny and Cam Goode help round out the deepest DT position in the B1G.  

What we're hearing: Of all the positional groups across these two fall football bits pieces, defensive tackle may be the one where "what we want to hear" is mostly closely matching "what we're hearing". Kris Jenkins has been the focus of nonstop praise throughout camp, often in association with a term like "the best player in fall camp" ($). Other reports have had a baby-like amazement at the reps in practice that pit Jenkins against the likes of Keegan and Zinter, with the two sides being described as equals to each other ($). Jesse Minter echoed that wonder in his media availability last week and then spoke about Jenkins' strides as a pass-rusher: 

Kris [Jenkins] has been obsessed with being better as a pass rusher since the day he stepped back here on campus. And it’s showing up. And so he’s moving really well, he’s still the same player against the run with 20 extra pounds

The Jenkins praise is also likely a function of his status as a veteran leader on this team, something he has that Mason Graham does not, which may be the only reason for the little bit more praise Jenkins is getting relative to Graham. Otherwise, though, the sources have been pouring the hype on Graham too. One source recognized Graham as one of the best players in this past weekend's scrimmage ($), also noting improvements he's made in pass-rushing. A different source echoed Graham's conquests at the scrimmage and used the term "fricking beast" to describe his destruction of the Michigan OL ($). 

Those two have gotten most of the praise in camp, with only small mentions of Kenneth Grant and Rayshaun Benny. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing either; when they pop up, it's mostly with the framing of "oh, those guys are good too", as a footnote after 758 lines of KRIS JENKINS IS GOD chatter. Grant did get mentioned in the same breath as the starters in a delectable line from JJ McCarthy: "Those three up front -- Mason, KG and Kris -- they're gonna be not fun for my fellow quarterback friends, that's for sure". Finally, Harbaugh gave perhaps another obligatory shoutout to players working hard in camp by mentioning two true freshmen at DT, Trey Pierce and Cameron Brandt, saying they "have been outstanding and came in right on time". 

What it means: Jenkins and Graham are your starters and there's a lot of reason to be HYPE about it. Benny and Grant are the backups and are probably fine. Cam Goode and maybe one of the freshmen round out the three-deep at DT.

[AFTER THE JUMP: positions where the starters probably aren't both going to be All-B1G]