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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After lots of questions coming into the 2019 season, perhaps the most of any position group, the Michigan defensive line group has answered those and more, proving that it can be a dominant unit leading the psyche of the Wolverines defense.
Just two sacks shy of last year’s season total in 13 games — while that’s not entirely on the defensive line, given that the linebackers are also heavily involved — the production is certainly there, with Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson among those leading the charge on that front.
But, what about the younger players on the team?
We know plenty about the aforementioned, but we’re starting to see some of the bumper crop get their opportunities late in games. Defensive coordinator Shaun Nua says that he really enjoys getting to work with the first and second-year players, because they’re eager and putting themselves in a position to be future contributors.
“Yes, yes – Mazi Smith, Hinton, Upshaw, Ojabo, Newburg – all those youngsters,” Nua said. “Because you see the progress. It gets frustrating with them sometimes, because they’re competitors as well. They want to do it right now. But they’re doing a great job and I’m excited. It’s fun.”
Beyond that, here’s everything Nua had to say about the younger generation of players, including Chris Hinton, Luiji Vilain, Donovan Jeter, Taylor Upshaw and David Ojabo.
Chris Hinton
Often when a team gets a five-star in recruiting, it’s likely that they’ll get into the rotation earlier than later. However, with Michigan having a solid D-line rotation, former five-star Chris Hinton has been able to slowly acclimate, with the coaching staff prioritizing his development.
He’s been in more and more in recent weeks, and notched his third tackle of the season against Michigan State on Saturday.
Nua shared where Hinton is in his progression and development, sharing that he’s not surprised that he’s starting to see the field more often.
“Yes, happy with how he’s progressing, but it’s not a surprise,” Nua said. “He’s a young man that has a good head on his shoulders. And very competitive as well. Not surprised at all. Expectations are still high though, so he knows he’s got a long ways to go as well.”