As Kyle Whittingham took over the Michigan football program this offseason, before he met with the media, barring his introductory press conference, the expectation was that the defensive line was among the areas of concern heading into spring. But then Whittingham came out for his spring ball press conference and declared that the defensive line is actually the strength of the entire team.
A notion that was confirmed by the play from the unit in the spring game.
Whittingham’s Utah teams were known to be physical up front, and that was the engine that drove the Utes in his 21 years at the helm in Salt Lake City. So if the Wolverines can find a way to be dominant along the defensive line, that could be a recipe to help propel the maize and blue beyond expectations in Whittingham’s first season in Ann Arbor.
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, as one of ESPN’s foremost college football analysts, ranked the top 10 defensive lines on his podcast, Always College Football. And there, he ranked Michigan entering the season with the sixth-best line, but one that has a caveat which could see it rise far beyond even that lofty ranking.
“At No. 6, it’s the Michigan Wolverines,” McElroy said. “Now, new head coach Kyle Whittingham, he walks into Ann Arbor and found six of his best defensive linemen that were already going to the NFL, right? I mean, between Payne and Benny and Moore and all these great players, all those guys gone, which is a tough thing to walk into. Well, he went and got a guy that he’s very familiar with in John Henry Daley. And Daley transfers over from Utah after being a first-team All-American, 11 and a half sacks last year, that’s the most in the Big 12. A guy that won on nearly a quarter of his pass rush reps. That was one of the most productive in the entire Power Four as well. And his defensive coordinator, Jay Hill, who was at BYU and got to watch him closely, well, now those two working together, it’s going to be pretty awesome. And I know there’s not necessarily continuity between a guy that coached at BYU and a guy that coached at Utah and played at Utah, but there’s a reason why Jay Hill is there. He does a terrific job.
“Now, the interior situation at Michigan, I think there’s more there than people are probably giving it credit for. If you listen to what Jay Hill even said about his own personnel, he said there’s probably two of the better defensive tackles in college football right now that sit right there guarding the interior of our defense. Etta is 6-3, 295, and has quietly developed into a high-level caliber player from the interior. And Trey Pierce, he was a guy that was in a bit of a rotational role last year, but now he has a chance to really blossom with additional reps and some really quality pieces that will be around him. They also had a few others that transferred along with Whittingham from Utah that add some size, and they add some experience to the rotation.
“Now, there is one red flag that you need to be aware of, and that’s that Daley is recovering from an injury. He got hurt at Utah, was a little limited in the spring, but he’s expected to be fully healthy for fall camp. And if he is, this is a top-five potential defensive line. But if John Henry Daley isn’t necessarily what he was last year, and the edge depth behind him maybe is a little bit unproven, there is a bit of uncertainty. And that is the only thing that is keeping Michigan from climbing higher right now. Plus, you just watch Michigan along the defensive front. You think about what Kyle Whittingham has been in his tenure as the head coach of Utah, you just know Michigan’s going to be really good in the trenches, especially along the defensive line, which is why they are in right now at No. 6.”
Ahead of Michigan, McElroy has Ole Miss at No. 5, Clemson at No. 4, Notre Dame at No. 3, Texas at No. 2, and Oregon at No. 1. Most of that is good news, as the only team on that list that the Wolverines are scheduled to play this year is the Ducks — which happens to be the top team in that regard.
Additionally, Week 2 opponent Oklahoma is No. 7, midseason foe Indiana is No. 8, Texas Tech is No. 9, and Georgia is No. 10.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Greg McElroy ranks Michigan football D-line within CFB top 10
Reporting by Isaiah Hole, Wolverines Wire / Wolverines Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
