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Entering last season, one of the big questions was how a new look defensive line would look under a brand new position coach in Ann Arbor.
It answered the call, exceeding many’s expectations, but things reset year-to-year. Despite returning Shaun Nua as the D-line coach and three of four starters, without an obvious 3-technique defensive tackle now that Michael Dwumfour has transferred to Rutgers for his fifth-year, questions return.
However, if you ask senior end Kwity Paye, there’s no question. The line is going to be good, if not great.
Asked about the state of the defensive line by Jon Jansen on the In the Trenches podcast, Paye shared why he’s enthusiastic about the group, including one who he anticipates to be the new starter in the middle.
“I think our D-line is gonna be phenomenal this year,” “We got Chris Hinton – he started some games last year – but I feel like he’s coming into his own. Being a true freshman as a 3-tech that’s nothing easy, being in the trenches. I feel like him having experience last year and coming into his own this year, he’ll step up big time. Me and Aidan off the edge – arguably the best duo in the country. So we’re just gonna come back and do our thing.
“Carlo Kemp, a leader on the D-line, he’s gonna come in and give it all he got. You saw last year, he played most games injured. There were some days where he was struggling to walk but he still a leader and wanted to come into the game. He gave it his all.”
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But it’s not just the starting caliber players that Paye is eager to see.
Though he never got the glimpse he had hoped to get with spring ball, as it was canceled less than a week before it was set to begin due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are a lot of fresh faces that Paye anticipates will take a massive step forward in 2020. Some are names that have been discussed — at WolverinesWire, we’ve been anxious to see Luiji Vilain take the field, while players midseason often mentioned freshman David Ojabo as coming along nicely. While others he mentions are relatively newer names.
“I’m so excited for our D-line, because we have some ballers behind us,” Paye said. “We’ve got Luiji Vilain, we’ve got (David) Ojabo who’s gonna come off – an athletic freak. Gabe (Newburg)’s huge! I don’t know what he was doing down there in quarantine, but I seen Gabe yesterday and he was just huge. Oh my God! I’m excited for our guys. Mazi Smith. Phill (Paea).
“I feel like with spring ball being lost, it was kind of a bummer, because I was excited for those guys to shine and get some more reps and work on their craft a little bit more. But we’re gonna start a player-led something soon, so we’ll catch them up.”
If the season goes on as scheduled, Michigan football fans will be able to get a glimpse of the revamped defensive line come Sept. 5, when the Wolverines travel to Seattle to take on Washington.
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