ANN ARBOR, Mich. — On Monday, junior defensive tackle Trey Pierce was the talk of the day, even with Bryce Underwood being named the starting quarterback officially by head coach Sherrone Moore. Because Underwood being named the starter was essentially a foregone conclusion by many — but Moore sharing that Pierce had the most impressive surge in fall camp was new information.
On Tuesday, Pierce got his first opportunity to meet with the media, and despite the room having established playmakers, key transfers, and those who appeared to be ahead of him on the depth chart, he was the one who was in front of the crowd with just days to go before the 2025 season. With that, he explained why he had such a good fall camp.
“I had a great off-season, had a healthy off-season,” Pierce said. “So I got to get the full, like, get everything out of the weight room, as well as in the film room, be around good coaches. So, mentally and physically, for my game, just kind of progressed a lot this last year.”
Pierce isn’t new to starting, but he’s close. He’s started in one game for the Wolverines — in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Alabama on New Year’s Eve. He played well and realized in the lead-up to the bowl game — yeah, I can do this at the highest level. As such, he hopes to be an All-Big Ten-caliber player, but those dreams started against the Crimson Tide, as that’s when he started to truly gain confidence.
“A decent amount,” Pierce said. “Because that was my first time starting playing that many snaps, so it gave me a benchmark of, well, OK, this is what it looks like at this level. So it gave me kind of something to go off of and see what I needed to get better at to play at that high of a level (against) those guys in Alabama.”
The good news for Pierce (and the Michigan defensive front) is that the Mazi Smith-sized DT can play multiple positions along the line. While he says that he has one preference above the rest, there are multiple places where he feels comfortable.
“3-technique. I think I’m super comfortable at 3-technique,” Pierce said. “But also, I like playing nose, but I like also playing at the 5 — especially against the run in our system. But I feel most comfortable at 3-technique, that’s for sure.”
Fans will get to see Pierce in action on Saturday when the Wolverines host New Mexico for the 2025 season opener at The Big House. The game will kick off at 7:36 p.m. EDT on NBC.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Trey Pierce’s surge in fall camp positions him as Michigan’s key D-tackle for 2025 season
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
