Trey Pierce isn’t hiding the standard he wants Michigan’s defensive tackle room to chase.
“We want to be the number one (defensive) tackle, number one (defensive) line room in the country,” he said July 30 at Big Ten Football Media Days.
That’s a big ask, especially with Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant gone after both went in the top 15 of the 2024 draft. But Michigan’s first-year defensive tackle coach, Larry Black, said Monday that this group is starting to take shape.
“The guys have attacked every day and showed up to compete,” Black said Monday. “What you see is a group that’s gelling together really well.”
Pierce, now a senior, is the one driving that standard. He spent time learning behind Graham and Grant before stepping into a full-time starting role for the first time last season, when he finished with 30 tackles, including one for a loss, and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. Now he’s Michigan’s only returning starter along the defensive line, which puts even more on his shoulders after the Wolverines lost Rayshaun Benny, Tre Williams and their starting defensive ends.
Black said Pierce’s game keeps moving forward.
“Trey’s a man,” Black said. “He has taken steps since I got here in February. He’s just been getting better and better every week, as far as detail in the run game, detail in the rush game, getting to his counter moves.”
The production around him will matter, too, if Michigan is going to get where Pierce wants it to go. Seniors Enow Etta and Jonah Lea’ea are in the mix as possible starters next to him.
Etta, listed at 6-foot-5 and 328 pounds, played in all 13 games last season and posted 15 tackles, 2.5 for a loss and 0.5 sacks. Lea’ea arrived from Utah after putting up 34 tackles in 12 starts for the Utes last season.
Pierce has also grown into a bigger voice in the room. On Monday night, Michigan named him one of its four captains for 2024.
“(He’s) being way more vocal and being a leader,” Black said. “We’re running gassers at the end of practice today. You see him continue to push the tempo and take steps.”
That kind of presence matters for this defense. Michigan’s tackles are going to be especially important against the run, with senior defensive end and Utah transfer John Henry Daley expected to pressure quarterbacks after recording 11.5 sacks in 11 games last season and earning preseason second team All-American honors from ESPN. The Wolverines also need help in the middle because their linebacker group lacks depth and experience.
If the tackles do their job, it changes everything behind them. Eating up blocks, clogging lanes and freeing linebackers to fly downhill won’t always show up in the box score, but it can shape the defense.
Pierce has set the tone. Now the rest of the room is trying to catch up.
In Other News...
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Andrew Babalola and Savion Hiter appear to be among the names worth monitoring after dealing with minor tweaks, but nothing has been confirmed as serious. The bigger picture is encouraging for Michigan, with several players back from significant injuries suffered in previous seasons and showing positive progress as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Just Turned A Bitter Freddie Whittingham Exit Into A Fight
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Utahs filing also raises the stakes beyond simple contract language, seeking more than $300,000 in damages along with additional claims tied to fiduciary duty and punitive damages. For Michigan, the issue is no longer just about adding a familiar name to the staff. It has become a case that invites scrutiny over how the departure happened and what, exactly, was said and done before Whittingham arrived in Ann Arbor. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Faces A Late Roster Decision It May Be Smart To Avoid
The NCAAs new five-for-five rule has already started to reshape how college football programs think about roster planning, but Michigan appears to be approaching the change with caution. The rule gives athletes five years to play five seasons and effectively wipes out the old redshirt model, creating a wider path for players who want to stretch out their college careers and a fresh layer of decisions for coaches trying to manage scholarship space and experience.
A recent court ruling added another wrinkle by extending eligibility for Class of 2022 players and opening a transfer portal window tied to the change, which only increases the pool of possible moves for teams to monitor. Michigans stance, though, suggests it may not chase those late additions, leaving the Wolverines to build around the roster they already have rather than dive into a market that could still shift again. [Read more 🡒]