Why Michigan football should be beyond solid at EDGE in 2024

Photo: Isaiah Hole

Though Michigan football loses a lot on defense — the entire coaching staff and a handful of star players — on paper, it still looks quite formidable entering 2024.

Gone are edge rushers Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor, nickel back Mike Sainristil, defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, and linebackers Mike Barrett and Junior Colson, but there are a ton of big-time players with experience returning.

Of all the position groups, edge rusher should continue to thrive with the players who are coming back. The duo that was on the field for the final play in the Rose Bowl against Alabama — Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart — both return. Stewart made the highlight on that play by pancaking Alabama star right tackle JC Latham, but it was Moore who managed to put quarterback Jalen Milroe on the ground.

Beyond them, there’s also a ton of talent waiting in the wings.

At the NFL scouting combine, edge rusher Braiden McGregor broke down who will be coming in behind him now that he’s gone, and sees a very bright future for the group.

“We have another deep edge-rushing crew right now,” McGregor said. “You’ve got (the) sophomores you know, you got all those guys, then you have Kechaun Bennett, TJ Guy — they’re gonna make big steps this year. And then Josaiah Stewart and Derrick Moore — I mean, they’ve been working their butts off, they’ve been there — especially Derrick. I’ve seen him since freshman year, he’s a junior now. Josaiah came in, he’s just hit the ground running since the day he came in.

“So really excited for them. I think they all have different personalities, different traits on the field. So again, it’s gonna be another versatility year of — Derrick, he’s a bigger body you know, Josaiah is a little bit smaller. TJ is athletic, (Bennett is) big. And they got Cam Brandt, (Aymeric) Koumba — it’s a deep deep room so you kind of just expect going in the offseason — this spring ball is going to be a big competition. It’s going to be a chance to reset yourself, start over, especially for guys that might not have played as much as they wanted to. Go in there and just have a fresh start.”

Fellow pass rush specialist Jaylen Harrell concurred on the players mentioned by McGregor, but he added a few interesting names — particularly a sophomore-to-be who was a highly-rated recruit but didn’t see the field but for 11 snaps in 2023.

“You guys know about Josaiah and Derrick, TJ Guy,” Harrell said. “TJ, he’s got great traits. He’s athletic, he can move and whatnot so I feel like he’s gonna put it all together this year.

“And also Enow Etta. He’s very big, kind of reminds me of Kwity Paye a little bit. Very explosive, very big, powerful and whatnot, so I feel like he’s gonna have a great spring. And like I said it’s going to propel him to get into the rotation.”

Certainly, most of the hype when it comes to the returning defensive front centers on tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant — and deservedly so given how dominant they were all season long. But the edge-rushing talent that remains is also quite solid. It will be interesting to see how the unit performs in spring ball, which starts late in March.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Why Michigan football should be beyond solid at EDGE in 2024