Previously: Podcast 10.0A. Podcast 10.0B. Podcast 10.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End And Friends. Offensive Tackle. Interior Offensive Line.

  Depth Chart

STRONG DE	Yr.	NOSE TACKLE	Yr.	3-TECH	Yr.	WEAK DE	Yr.
Rashan Gary	Jr.	Aubrey Solomon	So.	Mike Dwumfour	So.*	Chase Winovich	Sr.*
Kwity Paye	So	Bryan Mone	Sr.*	Lawrence Marshall	Sr.*	Aidan Hutchinson	Fr.
Ron Johnson	So.*	Donovan Jeter	Fr.*	Carlo Kemp	So.*	Luiji Vilain	Fr.*

It's a simple job. You just get out there and replace Mo Hurst, the most disruptive defensive tackle in recent program history. That thing where he drills your face into the chest of the center and comes out through the ear of the right guard: do that. The part where he teleports past a double team: do that. The bit when he rubs his belly after a good play: do that.

...

Okay, good to hear that we've got the third one down. Now, about the rest?

THREE-TECH: TOOT-TOOT HERE COMES THE NO PRESSURE EXPRESS

RATING: 4.

[Patrick Barron]

MIKE DWUMFOUR [recruiting profile] has one of the most believable offseason hype trains in recent memory. This is in part because it started last year, when nobody on earth would have batted an eyelash at vacuum-of-space level silence regarding a three-star redshirt freshman, who many assumed was just a Rashan Gary sweetener, playing behind Mo Freakin' Hurst. And yet:

A few months back when we talked with someone close to the team about up and coming youngsters, Dwumfour was brought up first and foremost. That talk has been reinforced since. Sam Webb relays that Dwumfour is the talk of the defensive line's next generation, Non-Gary division. Because you may remember him from such players as:

The same explosive get-off [as Hurst], but with a bigger frame. His teammates love his athleticism and think he has definite future pro potential.

Dwumfour's recruiting profile does use Hurst as the You May Remember Me From Such Players As because the recruiting industry described Dwumfour as a great first step in search of a backfield to be all up in; because Dwumfour's somewhat modest 6'2" 280-pound frame was reminiscent of Hurst; and because Hurst came to Michigan a badly underhyped recruit relative to the finished product. A Penn State commitment was the main argument for the latter then. Even now that's still a good sign.

Meanwhile last year's hype has been double down upon. Dwumfour was the heir apparent at three tech the moment Hurst played his final game and nothing since has caused even a slight waver in those assessments. Both Mattison and Brown have talked him up without reservation. Mattison wasn't just satisfied with comparing him to Hurst, but had to go one step farther:

"The strength staff has been another HUGE factor for him. He has now lost some of that excess weight that he didn’t need and added muscle. And his quickness has been much, much better. ... both [Hurst and Dwumfour] are very quick twitch. Both are very, very quick off the football. Both are same height-wise (and) both have the same leverage. I think there are a lot of comparison between the two, Michael might even be a little broader (and) a little thicker. And at this age he might be a little ahead of where Mo was.”

GTFO.

Gary:

“We’ve got this guy, Jersey kid, Michael Dwumfour. Fast off the ball with a get-off just like Mo. It’s ridiculous. But you’re going to see it when time comes.

Chase Winovich picked him as the breakout player on D; "several sources" hyped him up to Wolverines Wire;

And the capper is something I've brought up a few times this offseason. I was talking with Ira Weintraub at WTKA; Ira helps out with the Harbaugh podcast. On one episode Harbaugh had finished his bit and left the room. He came back, sat down, and told Ira to ask him about breakout players specifically so he could talk up Mike Dwumfour. All right. Sold.

That said, Dwumfour did get some snaps behind Hurst last year and has yet to set the world on fire. After Penn State I mentioned him briefly:

Dwumfour was ineffective. He got stood up at the line on a couple plays when a bit of penetration from him was likely to be a TFL because of Hurst getting in the backfield.

I keep an eye out for new-contributor clips specifically because they're useful in these posts but don't have anything for him except this against Purdue:

DT #50

Which is indeed vaguely Hurst-ish; not many nose tackles have that range. Other than that, nope. That's a handful of snaps as Hurst barely came off the field last year and not enough to slow down the HYPE TRAAAAAIN... much.

For the record, I find the hype train mostly convincing but not entirely so. You don't just get Mo Hursts rolling off the assembly line. It is worth noting that the 2015 version of this post—the same point in Hurst's career as Dwumfour is now—listed Hurst as Ryan Glasgow's backup and noted his explosive spring game and the chatter surrounding it. It then tried to slow things down a bit:

Hurst was also the breakout star of last year's open scrimmage, where he destroyed the second-team OL. Then he disappeared, registering three tackles as a freshman. Clearly the step up in competition represented by bigger, better OL was a problem for him. At least this year he made a number of plays against Braden and Glasgow.

The not-so-hot year two is not a disqualifying factor for a Hurst-alike. Hurst had the luxury of being an explosive backup, though, and had a year of relative shelter before becoming the all-encompassing Man. Dwumfour will get put in stickier situations and have some problems holding up, like Hurst occasionally did early in his career. Michigan's hope is that he translates all the talk to a bunch of backfield excursions. That's more likely than not. Choo-choo.

[After THE JUMP: a palpable three deep at both spots]

BACKUPS

[Marc-Gregor Campredon]

Fifth-year senior LAWRENCE MARSHALL is one of those guys who shows up as a weakside end and continually slides inside as the program tries to find a place they can put him on the field. These transitions almost never go well and Marshall's has not. His playing time remained extremely limited a year ago; I had him for +1.5 on the season in limited snaps spotting Hurst. "Not as good as Mo Hurst" is nothing to be ashamed of but due to the nature of defensive tackle Marshall would see mid-drive time and opposing offenses would frequently go hurry-up to lock him on the field, to good effect.

But coaches keep talking about him. There's probably nobody on the roster who Greg Mattison would like to see turn in a game-winning play more than Marshall, and to hear him talk it's a possibility.

"Lawrence Marshall’s going to have a really good year. He’s the other one that I think starting maybe the last two games and going through the bowl game, he really started to come on. He also has shown to be a leader by his performance. He’s not a real talkative guy but when you sit and watch it, and they all know what we critique and what we don’t critique, they look at Lawrence and they go, ‘Boy, that’s a good play.’"

I ain't sayin' it ain't but this is a quote from last year:

“I hate saying this because you jinx them sometimes… I've been waiting for this for three years… Lawrence Marshall has had a very, very good camp. ...he's a lot stronger, his weight is up where it should be to play in there, and I think he's bought totally in. Let's be real honest… he's always been a guy that has played a little bit, and now I think he's bought in."

Marshall barely got snaps after that quote and may or may not have the same fate befall him this year. Lorenz says he's "heard good things" and that he's a "solid 285 right now"; if the latter is both accurate and new that would be a good explanation for why Marshall struggled to see the field last year. 285 is feasible if you're Mo Hurst. Not so much if people sometimes get clear shots at you.

One thing in his favor is that Michigan does have a recent archetype he fits into: Matt Godin. Godin was a senior tryhard DT who got significant playing time in his final year—he technically started over Hurst—and did pretty well with it. If Marshall's got some savvy he could be the 2018 version. That would be helpful since Dwumfour projects as the kind of guy who will need to rotate early in his career. And it could happen. Brown was talking about the DL as a whole, passed by Marshall briefly, and then circled back unprompted after naming another couple guys:

“Lo Marshall has done a very good job. ... I'm really happy Lo Marshall is coming back.

Could be something there.

[Patrick Barron]

If Marshall's stuck in the same pattern he's been in and Dwumfour is not quite Mo Hurst—both likely—then that should open up a significant number of snaps for redshirt sophomore CARLO KEMP [recruiting profile].

Kemp is sort of like Marshall in that he is a continually bulking-up person looking for a spot at which he can find snaps, but he entered as more of a strongside end despite a brief dalliance at linebacker upon his early enrollment. His trajectory was always likely to take him inside sooner or later. Take it from you author, who did a double-take at the recent open practice: there is nothing of a defensive end left in young Mr. Kemp. He very much looks like a defensive tackle, and will remain a defensive tackle for the rest of his days.

With this embulkening comes increased strength and a couple reasons Kemp might pass Marshall for significant snaps this year en route to be Dwumfour's Robin. Winovich:

He says [Kemp] looked like a “dough boy” last year, but looks like “a man” now.

Mattison:

“He might be the strongest defensive lineman we have, and the strength staff loves him,” said Mattison.

“They do some things with one-arm-lifting with dumbbells that… there are guys that can't do half of what he does. I mean it's almost freakish. ... when you add the weight to it, now you have a guy that could really, really help us inside”

Also unlike Marshall, Kemp saw a fair number of snaps last year. These didn't go that well (8 – 10 = –2 on the season) as he filled in for Rashan Gary when Gary was tired or came off the field with that nagging shoulder issue. See above re: Hurst about redshirt freshman DL seasons and how they are not fate.

Kemp will see rotation snaps whether or not Marshall warrants playing time as Michigan preps him for a certain spot on the two deep next year. That could be 30% of Michigan's snaps or 10%; tough to judge.

NOSE TACKLE: SURE HE CAN BE MO HURST TOO

RATING: 4

COMIN [Marc-Gregor Campredon]

The second-most hyped sophomore on Michigan's defensive line is a former five star who broke through into a starting role halfway through his freshman year. That would be AUBREY SOLOMON [recruiting profile], he of the strangest recruiting saga in the history of recruiting sagas. It's in the profile. Refresh thyself.

That'll be put in the past right about now but before we bury that piece of crootin history I'd just like to point out the cherry on top: Otis Reese, Solomon's high school teammate who was the reason Solomon ever took a visit to Ann Arbor in the first place, decommitted in favor of Georgia on Signing Day. Battlefield Crootin never disappoints.

With that in the psat, Solomon turned to the business of football last season. Like the other nose tackles on the roster he was passed over early in the year so Michigan could run their pseudo 3-3-5; Bryan Mone got the first shot when Michigan went back to four man lines and displayed his limitations; Solomon was the next man up. For the rest of the year he flashed the kind of talent that made him a five-star:

#5 DT to bottom

You can feel that explosive power when he gets off the ball even if it wasn't quite translating into monster Hurst-style TFLs just yet:

But don't get it twisted, these were hints at future talent and not a consistent source of UFR points. A typical Solomon line would be something like 2 – 1 = 1; more nondescript than anything else. Which is fine. True freshmen DTs, even monster top-end ones, are rarely freshman stars. If they contribute it's a win; Solomon contributed. He could have contributed more but for some persistent minor issues. Mattison:

“The biggest thing for him is staying physically healthy. He would start showing great things… he would be the guy you're really looking for to do things, and then he'd get nicked up. His back would be bad, his legs would be bad, or his shoulder would be bad."

Mattison also asserted that Solomon had dropped down to 285 pounds; the roster lists him a 287. As per all weight changes this is good. Mattison again:

He's lost some of that youth weight that you don’t need. ... He's moving way better. I think you're seeing a young guy that was a freshman last year maturing.

That's a bit of a pattern with Solomon, who was a four star just outside of the top 100 before a reshaped and vibrant senior season. Once he started his upward trend he blew up:

Scout called him the "most athletic defensive tackle in the country" in a couple rave reviews:

…really knows how to use his quickness and suddenness  …He has good anticipation and he reacts quickly in the trenches. He flashes the use of his hands, but he needs to improve that, and his moves to counter offensive linemen. …most effective with his quickness. Really gets up the field. Can make plays in the backfield. Gets consistent penetration.

They named him one of their All-Americans. 24/7 compared him to Clemson DT Carlos Watkins:

Watkins is your prototypical 6-foot-3, 305-pound 3-technique who plays with elite quickness and motor up front. This week that's been exactly what Aubrey Solomon's identity has been. …has just been unblockable, showing a knack both for getting big and being stout up front but also for getting skinny and being a penetrator in the backfield.

Solomon's at nose and isn't 305 yet but Wilkins is a good shout, as is Ryan Glasgow, another super-penetrator nose tackle. In year two Solomon should ramp up to solid or better. He's not in Gary's league as a recruit—#1s are on another level—but the pattern should be similar. Year one: chip in, flash talent. Year two: start, crunch a lot of people, end up short of truly elite. In Gary's case he was an All Big Ten level DE in year two and he'll aim for All-American this year. Solomon will probably be shooting for honorable mention with his eye on All Big Ten level performance as a junior.

Or Michigan could get a little lucky here. Brown's take was succinct:

Aubrey Solomon – sky's the limit.

If he could start the exponential bit of the growth phase this year that would be real nice.

BACKUPS

Bryan was hungry but now [Bryan Fuller]

BRYAN MONE returns for his final year of eligibility, and while the prospect of stardom has definitively fled it's a hell of a luxury to have a tank like Mone available at the most rotation-heavy spot on the defense. He's evolved into an old-school nose tackle who doesn't do much of anything when asked to pass rush but can staple guys trying to run block him into the backfield.

Michigan is finally willing to admit that to themselves and the public. Mone hype last year:

Fall chatter has been positive, thought not incessant. Webb:

Bryan Mone is looking like the pre-injury Mone… He not just a space eater. Right now he is making plays.

JT Rogan:

"I've just seen a lot of really great things out of Bryan Mone. I've seen power, I've seen quickness, and I've seen speed. I think I have seen what Michigan fans had hoped to see for a couple of years now."

Mone hype this year, from Brown:

"He’ll be a first and second down guy for us. And expect good things out of him. He’s like an immovable object. You just put him there and – good luck! It’s like a fence post that’s been cemented into the ground, because he’s not moving.”

More Brown:

"Very strong, very physical guy. Let's make no mistake about it – when he's in there, he's in there to do one thing: knock back whoever he's against and play the run. And when it's time to do the other things, we'll figure it out and get somebody else in for him."

And Mattison:

“He really was a guy that was a force inside using up double teams. He is going to have a great year. Write that down. I'm looking for Bryan Mone to have a really great year for us, especially in run downs.”

Nobody is talking about that moment right before Mone got hurt where he was the #3 player on Harbaugh's Big Board Of Every Guy On The Roster anymore. And they shouldn't be.

Mone was a two down player last year but we had to wait to see it because Brown favored a simple-but-effective version of the 3-3-5 featuring Noah Furbush as a "linebacker" who was actually just a small defensive lineman who got to run at the OL and hit them at full blast. Once that gambit started waning in effectiveness, Mone got his first extended runout against MSU's manball outfit:

How did Mone do in his most extended outing this year?

He was fine. Not great, not terrible. Fine. He's a useful player. He offers no pass rush; he's not easy to move. Like Hurst he had one bad snap when he got busted by a double. This was The Other Successful Michigan State RB Event:

If you're like me you thought to yourself "what the hell just happened" and remembered when it used to happen like 20 times a half. Well, young person, Michigan used to not have great giant beasts along the DL and this was the result. Also sometimes Michigan did this themselves. But not at the same time.

The rest of the game Mone was fine. He held up. One time he dismissed his opponent like a man scolding a child:

#90 DT to top of screen

Naturally, Hurst robbed him of a TFL. That was rare. He's a space eater and he ate space while other guys did crazy stuff.

An assessment after another bushel of snaps the next week was more or less the same ("space eater, and only a space eater"), highlighting how lovely it is to have a fresh mountain troll to throw on the field on third and one...

#90 NT

...and mentioned that there had been some fusty noises from the coaches about Mone's weight which seemed to be directly correlated with the total lack for rush Mone provided. Mone took a step back the next week against Penn State...

So it was just the everything else that worked?

Pretty much. PSU had some success on inverted veer with McSorley at QB. On a couple Michigan was banking that their DL would beat one on one blocks and contain; this did not happen. This chunk on second and five sees Mone blown out by a single block:

#90 DT to top

Michigan is banking on that being a drive to the backfield. Not that. That's not a scheme issue. That is a Mone issue. And a Kinnel issue, as he airballs this tackle entirely and gives up a bonus 15. 

...and this was the cue for Solomon to emerge.

Solomon is a fast-rising former five star with Upside. Mone is what he is. The weight thing seems to have persisted:

“(Mone) has gained too much weight and he's working on getting that down, but when you go back to this summer and now when we as a coaching staff look at the spring, he had a great spring,” Mattison said.

He'll be a luxury piece to put out there in short yardage situations and against manball outfits; a hard-charging Josh Uche, about whom more later, will likely prevent much in the way of Mone snaps against spread teams. But what a luxury:

Doubling that guy, and you're probably going to have to double him, gives Devin Bush a free run. Third and short should be a winning down for Michigan this year, in part because of Mone.

no relation to telenovela star DIRK JEEBLERS [Eric Upchurch]

As defensive linemen age, they grow, and generally they bump down inside. When this happens to a weakside end recruited to be a gazelle that assassinates quarterbacks it's usually a bad sign. Everyone else? It's the circle of life, man. And Michigan has been bumping down guys over the offseason. Meet new nose tackle DONOVAN JETER [recruiting profile]:

“I like it a lot more than end and three-tech. I just feel like I can really use my strength in there. I remember in high school I used to hate double teams. I just hated the thought of going inside. But now I’m 310, 315 pounds and that’s what I’ve got to do.”

Jeter was generating early playing time hype last fall when a meniscus injury sidelined him and redirected him towards a redshirt. Even by then he'd bumped down to three tech because he was pushing 290 and drawing significant attention:

After the spring game Brown called him a "very, very interesting guy":

"Jeter played very well out there in a limited role, and you never know how that’s going to go when you first go, but he really exceeded expectations of mine today.”

Jeter's continued to draw encouraging talk through fall. Per Webb he's has already beefed up to 290 and has "really come"; Lorenz says "don't sleep" on him as a year-one contributor since he's "in great shape" and had an excellent camp.

If he can maintain most of his athleticism at the higher weight he'll be one to watch out for. From the recruiting profile:

…a combination of size, strength, uncommonly great feet for such a big man, and an active, physical defensive end who can slide to a three-technique when the situation dictates. …He’s gone from a guy uncertain in his three-point stance with an average first step to a locked-and-loaded, quick-off-the-snap, get-up-the-field big end with a fast-running motor. He runs very well in the open field for such a big man. He has great not good feet in short space.

That missed time and a position switch for a guy who was a high school DE means that Jeter's reasonable best case scenario in 2018 is scattered snaps that flash promise. The kind of talk he's getting is "oh and also this guy" talk:

3. Lightly-talked about DL are impressing too

One source I recently spoke to said that while the usual suspects are getting the pub up front ... some of the other guys up front on the defensive side are having solid springs as well. ... Donovan Jeter [was mentioned] twice.

Mattison said Jeter is "getting healthy and should be in the mix," which is a wait-til-next-year kind of quote. Probably:

"Donovan is over 300 and he’s strong. And it’s being heavy. It’s muscle. That’s good.”

His year is probably some garbage time snaps; hopefully on a few of them he throws someone into the nearest dumpster. If pressed into real action he'd probably be promising but erratic. Young Willie Henry, maybe?

Recruiting whiffs in the most recent class end DT depth here. Usually there'd be a freshman to briefly mention; instead this slightly ominous note about a few years down the road.