Throughout spring camp, the Michigan football team’s coaching staff predicted that the defensive line would be a strength. True to form, each defensive line remained stout throughout the Spring Game.
“That appears to be our strongest suit right now as far as depth goes,” Wolverines coach Kyle Whittingham said. “And with 10 bodies ready to play, if you can go two-and-a-half deep that’s a real luxury.”
The Spring Game was decided via draft, so the starters and rotational pieces were mixed between Team Maize and Team Blue. Even without former All-American senior defensive end John Henry Daley, who is still rehabbing an injury, each line looked strong — a buttress to the depth that Michigan has claimed so far.
Even though the first quarter was played without tackling, the D-line’s physicality still showed up early. On the second play of the game, junior defensive end Lugard Edokpayi and senior defensive tackle Jonah Lea’ea ran a stunt, pressuring the pocket and forcing what was ruled a sack. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill’s defense employs a lot of stunts, and the early pressure showed why.
Sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood played for each team in the first quarter, and each defensive line had him running; Team Maize had two sacks in its first defensive series, Edokpayi batted a ball down and senior defensive end Enow Etta rounded out the front four’s onslaught as he chased Underwood deep into the backfield for a sack.
“Our D-line, they get after the quarterback,” graduate linebacker Aisea Moa said. “(There’s a) bunch of great pass rushers on this team.”
While senior Trey Pierce and Etta are expected to start at defensive tackle, it’s a position that necessitates rotation and depth — something Michigan found from Lea’ea and junior Deyvid Palepale. In the second quarter Palepale pulled out a swim move, swiping off the offensive guard and swallowing up freshman running back Savion Hiter. Palepale showed off his swim move on a few different plays, and also showed the strength to force interior pressure from his bull rush.
“Deyvid is a guy that got better as the spring went on,” Whittingham said. “… He’s a big body in there. He’s about 330 or 340 (pounds) and tough to move, and he’s got some quickness. He’s going to be a guy that takes some reps for us this fall.”
In one of the most explosive plays of the game, Team Blue’s defensive line flexed its muscles once again. Team Blue was protecting a six-point lead in the fourth quarter and was backed up to its own one-yard line. But after a goal-line stand on third down, sophomore defensive tackle Bobby Katka muscled through the A-gap and leveled the ballcarrier to turn the ball over.
Katka isn’t at the top of the depth chart yet he still made a big play in a big spot. Beyond keeping six points off the board, his talent speaks to the depth of the position.
The Wolverines’ coaching staff has talked about this season’s defense mirroring the 2023 national championship-winning team’s prolific unit. The 2023 defensive line was anchored by future first-round draft picks at defensive tackle in Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham. While the 2026 talent at defensive tackle isn’t at that level yet, their importance to the scheme is similar — and their performance in the Spring Game indicated that the comparisons aren’t unfounded.
Evaluations can be tricky in the Spring Game; the defensive line’s dominance might’ve shown their true aptitude, or exposed a lacking offensive line. But with the coaching staff’s confidence coming into the game, the defensive line unequivocally proved the strength — and depth — of the group.
