zeke berry

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]

Offense was yesterday, but after I was finished I realized I forgot to give a depth chart status. Then I thought we could use the Don Brown Dude Code for depth charting. Then I repurposed the icons that Brian got from some internet Flash game during the blog's distant past.

Icon	Name	Meaning
	Rock Star	Player is an All-American/1st rounder/bends the game around him.
	Dude	Trusted good starter. Probably All-B10 or in the running.
	Guy	Playable B10-caliber guy, very fine in a rotation.
	Iffy	Probably don't want him playing extended snaps at this point.

Defense in General

The question we're asking is: Is Wink gonna blitz too much?

But they're acting like it's: What does "blitz too much" mean?

What are we hearing? First off I need to be going on about something again, because I was out of town last week and thus missed my chance to remark on Michigan's hiring of former WMU and Memphis line coach Lou Esposito. If the name sounds familiar to you (you're misremembering famous Canadian hockey players and) you remember this author's longstanding appreciation of Bronco linemen like Ali Fayad (DE on the top).

Fayad was the first but they kept coming. Ralph Holley. Braden Fiske. Andre Carter. Marshawn Kneeland. At one point while UFR'ing the offense versus WMU I decided to look up who was responsible for these guys, and have been hoping Michigan would have an opportunity to pluck Esposito ever since. Can he recruit? I dunno. But he can coach.

Michigan also made the addition of defensive analyst Lionel Stokes official, while Alejandro found Pernell McPhee enrolled as a grad student in the School of Social Work. Stokes was LaMar Morgan's guy at Louisiana and before that an FCS coordinator. McPhee is expected to be an analyst as well, but NCAA rules allow grad assistants to be on-field coaches for a couple of years so maybe he's gonna do that.

Staff set, let's turn back to a bullet defined the offense bits this week, which was the front seven is being rather harsh on the passing game. Henschke:($):

Wink’s pressures and blitzes “handled” the offense thoroughly. … The defense is always ahead of the offense early but the offense needs time to get rhythm and gel, a lot of early pressure by Wink doesn’t necessarily allow that but it’s good practice.

There's also this from Ernest Hausmann:

Jean-Mary is imploring the group to be more disruptive in the pass game.

Wink, while calling himself the system's OG, did little to suppress the talk that he represents a more basal, aggressive antecessor of the Mac-Minter defenses.

I am more aggressive than Jesse and the proof is in the pudding. So we’ll see how it works and if we can get to the quarterback rushing three, we will rush three. That’s the way football is. You just got to see how it changes because people are adjusted to us, too.

What it means? Dear only fanbase in football that wants to hear their DC talk about blitzing *less*: Jesse Minter was able to use a lot of sim pressures without committing that many rushers, but Wink's correct that opponents have this on tape and will adjust. If you want feints to keep working you have to punch too. The pressures will go up, but it'll be in the context of all the sim pressures that Minter was using, not the blitz-to-play-man that he ran in Baltimore with the league's most expensive secondary, or in New York with the league's worst starting field position. Chill. Not you Wink.

[After THE JUMP: Dudes, potential rock stars, and a big bummer.]

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

Depth Chart

Michigan lost RJ Moten in the offseason on a post-spring transfer to Florida that was entirely performance/playing-time related but otherwise rolls over the same depth chart from last season. Moten began 2022 as the #2 safety and logged considerable regular season snaps but by the end of last season was virtually unplayable at safety, so there is complete continuity from the Fiesta Bowl division of snaps. Caden Kolesar is back healthy after playing in just five games and the blue chip true freshmen safeties from last year are no longer true freshmen (but are still blue chip). 

SAFETY: Pax Safetifica

RATING: 4.5 

[Patrick Barron]

Last August in the final season preview podcast, your author was asked to name his "dude" for the defense, the player you are irrationally excited about. I chose ROD MOORE, predicting a terrific season for him that would see Moore seamlessly help replace the departed Brad Hawkins and rise to be one of the best defensive players on the team. At the time it seemed a bit bold and the other panelists on said podcast were audibly startled. My logic was two-fold: Moore was getting immense fall camp hype describing the rising sophomore like a 5th year veteran and Moore had, as a 3* true freshman, started at safety and done perfectly fine against an Ohio State receiving group that has a legitimate claim to being the best of all time. That doesn't happen often and typically indicates a player destined for super-stardom. 

In a victory for my takes, my willingness to put the thumb on the scale for Rod Moore was right on the money: 

The chronology of Moore's season was a terrific start pushing him on the brink of star status, an October lull that may have been injury-related, followed by an end-of-season rampage beginning with a historic performance against MSU. He never did get a star on the diagram, but after his showing against TCU, he will begin the 2023 season with one. Well earned. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: some clips]