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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — One of the biggest gainers on the defensive line this offseason has been third-year DE Taylor Upshaw, having gained approximately 16-pounds according to the official rosters spanning from 2018-19. But more than that, this is the year he’s anticipated to be a solid rotational player.
When speaking about who’s behind the starters at defensive end — as Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson reprise their roles from a year ago — one of the names we’ve consistently heard about is Upshaw. Just over a week ago, defensive coordinator Don Brown mentioned him first behind the started edge rushers.
“Over behind Kwity, Taylor Upshaw – much bigger,” Brown said on Oct. 5. “In the 256-260 range where he was probably 235 a year ago. He’s able to handle the run game but still is fast and quick and his pass rushing ability is outstanding.”
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But what’s allowed him to take that step forward?
Formerly committed to Florida, Upshaw came in as a three-star prospect and was looked at as something of a project despite enrolling early. It didn’t help his chances of seeing the field that the Wolverines not only had entrenched starters in Chase Winovich and Rashan Gary — both future NFL players — but also the current starters in Paye and Hutchinson.
Defensive line coach Shaun Nua says that Upshaw already has the physical prowess, it was more of a matter of him getting that killer instinct, mindset-wise. And that’s precisely what he’s seen out of him in fall camp.
“The one thing that Taylor has is he has the epitome D-line mentality – kills everything in his path,” Nua said. “And I love it. Just gotta control it at times. But very, very explosive, very athletic young man. Great, great size, great frame. Improving a lot. He’s doing a great job of understanding the full aspect of the game. So he’s gonna be heavily involved in what we do, especially from a rotation standpoint. I’m excited for Taylor Upshaw.”
Upshaw got his feet wet in 2019, having appeared in six games total and five games defensively. He played 34 snaps on defensive line and 20 on special teams — numbers that will assuredly get much higher in 2020.
He’ll have his first opportunity come Oct. 24, when Michigan travels to Minnesota for the Big Ten season opener.
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