ANN ARBOR – Michigan Wolverines defensive tackles coach Larry Black Jr. met with the media for the first time on Monday, dishing on the developing pecking order within his position group.
The defensive tackles are expected to be led by a trio of seniors at the top of the depth chart in Trey Pierce, Enow Etta and Jonah Lea’ea, the latter of whom transferred in from Utah.
“We’ll start with Trey,” Black said Monday. “He has taken steps since I got here in February. He’s been getting better every week — detail in the run game, detail in the pass rush, getting to his counter moves, and being way more vocal and being a leader. We’re running gassers at the end of practice today; you see him continue to push the tempo and take steps. So I’ve been very pleased with the steps he’s taken in the run game, leadership, and pass rush.
“Enow, same thing. He gets better every day, shows up to work, challenges himself, and is able to continue to correct the mistakes he makes. He’s always looking for what he needs to get better at, and that’s one thing I appreciate about Enow. He’ll call you and say, ‘Coach, what happened today?’ and he takes the correction and applies it.
“Jonah gets better every day as far as his technique and being able to understand how we’re playing certain blocks and how we’re rushing the passer. Those three guys show up every day, they work their tails off, and I’m very blessed to coach those guys.”
Behind them, Michigan is still searching for depth it can lean on. One emerging option is sophomore Bobby Kanka, who has come on ahead of his second season with the program.
“He’s following the footsteps of those older guys,” Black said. “He shows up, and he’s put good weight on himself, which is naturally helping him on the inside with the double teams and the combo blocks. You see a guy who wants to strike and use his hands and play with pad level more consistently and dominate his gap. I always tell those guys, especially as a young guy: if you want to play right away, show that you can come out and dominate a double team and a base block, and then we’ll build it from there.
“So he’s been able to help himself by doing that daily. Bob’s a smart kid too — he’s always gonna know his assignment and his alignment and be able to operate from there. He’s been crushing it.”
Kanka and junior Deyvid Palepale are both in the mix for rotational reps to round out the room.
“Those guys have a shot,” Black said. “The more depth we have on our D-line, the fresher we’re going to be, and the more you’re going to see us be able to play how we need to play to be one of the top units in the country. Those guys need to keep us rolling and keep us going. They’ve been crushing it and keep building.”
Michigan has a pair of true freshmen in Alister Vallejo and Titan Davis who could have bright futures with the program, but Black made sure to tamp down expectations for them given that they were summer enrollees with a lot on their plates.
“It’s tough [because] defensive line is hard and it’s gritty,” Black said. “You’ve got four hands on you, double teams. You’re learning how to position your body weight on certain blocks. Then you’ve got school. You’re in the bridge program. The challenge is, one, being organized and detailed with what they do from school-wise to field-wise, and then coming in and showing the ability to use your hands at a high level.
“A lot of times in high school, guys get away with it because they’re more athletic and more talented, and they never really have to strike people. When you get here, you gotta learn how to use your hands. Those guys have been able to progress. I’ve been proud of Titan and Alister — they’re still in class while the rest of the team is working, and they show up every day finding ways to get better. I’m high on those two as they continue to progress.”