Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham proclaimed the defensive line as a core strength of the team when he assessed the program in the spring. Now halfway through fall training camp, that rhetoric has remained as the Wolverines emphasize the talent and depth they hold at D-Line.
One man responsible for this shift is new to Michigan and doesn’t come from the Whittingham lineage like many of the other fresh faces. With 12 years of experience behind him, defensive tackles coach Larry Black brings a welcomed new perspective and mentality to the Wolverines.
And so far, his impact has been felt in waves.
“(Black) brought a mentality to the D-line, that gritty scummy cat mentality he wants us to have,” senior defensive tackle Trey Pierce said Tuesday “We train hard and he demands a lot of us, so he’s brought a lot of that.”
While Black isn’t returning to the Michigan program or joining Whittingham from Utah, he isn’t entirely unfamiliar with the Wolverines. Black’s younger brother, Jibreel Black, played for Michigan from 2010-2013 as a defensive tackle. Jibreel is intimately familiar with the program, ending his senior season as a cemented starter and securing 27 tackles, seven and a half tackles for loss, two and a half sacks and one forced fumble.
As Larry continues to integrate himself into the Wolverines fabric, Jibreel remains not only his biggest fan but the program’s as a whole. The brothers talk everyday and Jibreel is sure to share memories of the program while Larry talks through Michigan’s goals, growth and everything in between.
One such goal that Larry has for his defensive line is to hold opponents to 85 rushing yards or less this season. Jibreel and the 2013 squad allowed 140.2 rushing yards on average per game, nearly double his brother’s standards. In 2025, the Wolverines allowed on average 111.9 rushing yards per game and Vanderbilt, Larry’s former program, did only slightly better allowing on average 108.2 yards. While both are within the top-20 rushing yards allowed in the country, they are far below Larry’s expectations for the upcoming year.
“We want to be the top,” Larry said Monday. “… We want to set the tone and be really good up front. … That’s our mindset. How do we become one of the best run defenses in the country? We’ve got to stop the run.”
Larry began pushing his unit to this goal from the jump. Starting by focusing on fundamental technique, he assessed his defensive tackles’ pad level and attacking ability. Larry emphasized the quickness with which players are able to get their hands from the ground to their man. In a dynamic and intricate defensive scheme such as the one that defensive coordinator Jay Hill reportedly runs, the quick twitch on the defensive front will likely be key.
The defensive line and Larry have also benefited greatly from director of football sports performance Doug Elisaia’s regimented strength and conditioning program. With a stronger foundation, Larry has had the time to focus on players technique and ability to execute play calls instead of worrying about their base ability.
Depth has certainly helped the D-line seem more stabilized as well. In Larry’s department, names like Pierce and senior defensive tackles Enow Etta and Jonah Lea’ea have drawn much attention. And while they certainly look to be a nuisance for opponents up front, Larry has more than this trio to rely on. Sophomore defensive tackles Bobby Kanka and Travis Moten have also begun drawing attention to themselves, apparently making large strides since the spring.
“You saw really good players who were talented with quick feet, with really good size and really good frames, and now my thing is just continue to task them on how we execute and how we continue to improve from last year,” Larry said. “Doing our jobs and being consistent just with our hands and being able to dominate one-on-one blocks. That was my big challenge for those guys.”
For Larry, a good D-line starts with the fundamentals. By focusing on his defensive tackles’ basic skills and technique, Larry is developing a core attacking front from the interior that he hopes leads the rest of Michigan’s defense into the domineering front he believes it can be.
