Enow Etta growth fueled by learning from coaches and Mason Graham
Michigan's defensive line is expected to be one of the best in the country this season, thanks to the return of Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, Josaiah Stewart, and Derrick Moore.
This offseason, the Wolverines' focus has been developing the young talent they have to provide depth for a unit that the coaching staff loves to rotate.
One player who stood out this spring was Enow Etta. The redshirt freshman played mostly outside last season, but after growing to 309 lbs this offseason, Etta played primarily inside, where he had been a force throughout practices.
According to defensive line coach Lou Esposito, Etta has turned a strong spring into a stronger fall and is ready to contribute.
"Enow has really grown from the spring," Espositio said Wednesday. "From where they (Etta and Trey Pierce) were in the spring to where they are now is light years ahead."
Like we so often here with rising players in the Michigan Football program, Etta's growth has come from learning. Learning from coaches and trying to learn as much as possible from one of the best players on the team. In this case, it's Mason Graham.
"I mean, the last two weeks of camp, he came over and met. I didn't ask him, didn't say anything. He just came over and met with me and met with me and met with me. Came in yesterday before class, met with me. Meets with Coach Lewis. He's becoming a sponge football-wise. And I really think the most impressive thing was, like, we talked about Mason. There was a day in practice where Mason and I walked in the D-line room, and Mason and Enow were in there with the door shut, and they were just watching film. Mason was coaching them. And Enow was, like, writing notes down, writing notes down, writing notes down. And Mason was saying the same message. Sometimes when you hear it from a different voice, guys respond to it differently. And it's been really good. So he wants to learn football. You know what I mean?"
Etta is expected to be a top rotational piece for the defensive line this season. Emulating a guy like Mason Graham is a great place to start.
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