On how the younger DL are progressing

Yeah, I think the biggest thing coming into camp was us to build some depth, right? And I think the guys have done a great job. Ike, Enno, Trey Pierce have really grown from the spring. From where they were in the spring to where they are now, is light years ahead. Still, we've got to keep getting better with those guys. I think there's a good group of guys that are proven commodities, that have played, and these young guys are going to play. I mean, Trey played a little bit last year as a freshman. He'll be a true sophomore. Enow's a redshirt freshman. And then Ike, being a junior who's been in the program, has physically developed and done a great job over the summer of really changing his body. He's a 310-pound kid now, and when you look at him, he looks slim for a 300. I know that sounds weird, but he looks slim for a 310-pound kid, and he's done a great job. So those three guys have still got to keep working every day. We've got to keep force-feeding them reps, put them in pressure situations. The difference between being a really good D-lineman and an average D-lineman is how you handle those hard situations. And the good thing about here at Michigan, we practice extremely hard. We tackle, we're physical, both sides of the ball. And it's always been that way here, and it always will be that way here. So I think those guys get that callous early, and that's what we're trying to do with those guys. They've done a great job.

On what no-filter Wink Martindale looks like

Whatever he feels like to say, he says, which I appreciate. You always know where you are with him, which I appreciate. And there is no favoritism. He holds no punches to anybody. If you're a position or you didn't do something right, he lets you know right away. You know, sometimes guys speak in, well, you know, we should do this or we should do that, and you kind of, like, think to yourself, is he really talking about me or is he talking about something? Not Wink. Hey, Espo, you've got to do this. Espo, that wasn't right. You've got to do this, which I appreciate. I love it. And I think the guys like it too because you always know where you stand with him right away. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there's a lot of that stuff. There's a long training camp.

On whether they're comfortable playing Rayshaun Benny

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there's a lot of that stuff. There's a long training camp. Benny's been here a long time. So we feel comfortable about putting him out. The good thing, what's happened is, you know, him missing the spring gave opportunities for other guys. So him being back was a positive. I mean, the first day we were in pads, he was out there rocking and rolling. So we feel good with him.

On tougher tests earlier in the season for the DL

Yeah, I think us as a D-line, you watch really good defenses. Up front, they're fresh. It's uncommon what we ask guys to do. You're running into 300-pound guys. You're trying to stop on a dime, change direction, chase a running back, chase a receiver on a screen. So it takes a lot of energy, and guys get banged up. And it's no secret, if you're fresh, you play better. So we're going to try to rotate those guys as much as we can. I hope we're in the situation where we can play a lot of guys, but that's not always the case. And this team that we have coming in here is going to be a great team. It'll be a great test for us. So we're going to play the guys the amount of plays we need them to play to win. But the plan is always to rotate as much as we can, and especially at the D-line position. You've got to keep guys fresh, and that's what we're going to try to do.

On how he sees the snap counts changing with the schedule

Yeah, and it's not even really the schedule. It's game to game, right? He's put himself in better shape. He's in football shape. I think the last 14 days of practice, he has really stepped up. We talk about those guys that are kind of unknown a little bit, like those younger guys that haven't played, have come light years from where they were. KG, condition-wise, playing low pad level, using his hands, playing with his eyes the last 14 days, have been elite. And those are the things that we need for our guys to be better. As far as numbers of plays, you ballpark it, you want to be around 40. If he's around 40, you feel good about that. But there might be games where he plays less. There might be games where he plays more, depending on what the situation is and where we are in the game. I think the good thing about all those guys that are proven commodities, they all want more plays. They want to be in. I mean, there's times in practice where you're trying to pull them out, and he's like, Coach, I got it, I got it. Give me another play, give me another play. So I think those guys will be great, but it's game to game. And the more depth you have, you trust guys more, right? So we've done that. We've built depth through that position. They've been successful here in the past because they've had great depth at the D-line, especially interior. We have great depth on the edge. We have good depth inside. And the more those guys can get on the field, the better we can play. And, you know, KG being 40 plays is probably about where you want to be.

On the next steps for Kenneth Grant and Mason Graham

I mean, the biggest thing for KG is what we just talked about, playing with low pads all the time because he's such a massive human being, playing with unbelievable energy all the time. He plays with a great motor. I mean, there are numerous plays that stick out to me. Everyone talks about the Penn State play last year. There's at least eight or nine of those in camp this year where he's running a guy down on a screen all the way across the field. He's rushing from one sideline to the other. So he's done that because he's got his conditioning up and really bought into what we did in the summer. So I think for him, that was step one, right? The next thing is playing with low pads and good eyes and knowing where blocks are coming before they happen, understanding the backfield, understanding your triangle. And that's the same thing with Mason. Mason has an unbelievable knack of reading offensive linemen and knowing things are going to happen before they happen. And then he does a great job with his hands and his feet. So the next thing for Mason was just keep his feet going on double teams, keep his feet going all the time. And he's done a great job. I mean, you're supposed to get better right to that point of game time. And yesterday's practice for Mason was elite, like, awesome. Like, it was literally, I was just up there before I came down here, and I mean, there was five or six clinic tapes where you just, okay, this is teach tape. This is exactly how it should look. I mean, he's ramped it up. He's ready to rock and roll. Right here, Noah. Yeah, you've got to spend a little bit of time with Josiah Stewart now.

On Josaiah Stewart

He only knows one speed or the other. It's either off or on. There's nothing in the middle, whether we have pads on, whether we're in helmets, whether it's walk-through. And I appreciate that. You watch him, he plays with a chip on his shoulder all the time. And when I say he plays with a chip, he just plays with fanatical effort. And those are things that we don't have to do. You never have to say that about him. You never say, hey, you've got to give better effort here. Whether it's in the film room, whether it's dealing with guys, whether it's in the practice, he is unbelievable. He has a great knack of being physical at the point of attack. He can drop into coverage. He has an unbelievable rush. And I mean, everyone remembers the game versus Alabama last year where he just took the offensive tackle as the 10th overall pick and basically tackled the quarterback with him. Like he has such an unbelievable knack and combination of explosiveness and power. The things that people don't see is the mental aspect of him, which has been through the roof. And it's awesome. t's rubbing off on some of the young guys, which is really good.

On Dom Nichols

I think the biggest thing for Dom is he has, like, past rushers, a lot of it you work on things. But you either have it or you don't. And he's a natural past rusher. He can rush the passer. No matter what the call is, if you said, hey, Dom, go rush the passer right now, he can go create pressures. He's a freshman and he's doing a great job and he's continuing to work and he's continuing to learn how to manage class, how to manage playbooks, how to manage playing time and not being the guy right away. He has done an unbelievable job so far in camp for us. So we're really excited about him.

On Lugard Edokpayi

He is an absolute athletic freak. Like, he is going to be a year in the weight room and he's going to be, like, he's 225, 230 right now. He's going to be 255 pounds and look exactly the same because he's 6'7 and super, super long. He has a great knack to use his length. He still makes some freshman mistakes, like he's running by the quarterback. But the thing that I appreciate about him is when you talk to him, he doesn't make the same mistake over again, which is great. It's the same thing with Dom. Those are the kids that are coachable, that make things easy to do because now you can move on to the next thing. Hey, now we'll talk about hand placement. Now we talk about your eyes. So it's really exciting. That group is really, really good.

On Cam Brandt

He's like a cerebral assassin. Like, you never know. There's a couple of those guys where you talk to them and you're going to get the same face no matter what. We've asked him to play and we've asked him to play inside a little bit. He's done everything for us. He's done a great job. He is, like, very black and white. Like, whatever you tell him exactly to do, he's going to do it. And he does it at a high level. And you're starting to see it. It's like anything else, right? We talked about we just answered a question about reps. Every rep you get in practice is working towards a rep in a game. But game reps aren't the same as practice reps. So he's just got to get game reps. And I think the sky's the limit for him because he has a combination of size, speed, he's fluid in his hips, and he does a really good job of dissecting what people do. I think the biggest thing here, me being a new coach, is the football intelligence of our players is through the roof. And I think that's a compliment to coaches. It's a compliment to Coach Moore and what they've done. It's been awesome for us.

On anyone on offense catching his eye

I mean, there's numerous guys. I think Donovan Edwards has had a great camp. I mean, when he touches the ball, it's like a firecracker went and goes off. Like, he's super explosive. Every time he touches it, you feel like it could be a touchdown. I think the group of tight ends is unbelievable. Like, everyone knows about Colston, but, like, when they walk by, they're all, like, built the same way, look the same way, really, really good. Bredy is like a throwback old school. Like, if you are a Blue Blood football fan, you absolutely love him. That kid is going to give you every ounce, and he is going to give it to you as fast as he can, as hard as he can. And I think that, to me, is refreshing. You see those guys, and guys respond to that. And then on the offensive line, I mean, they continually get better and better and better. It's amazing to me how they move guys in and out, and it's like they don't even skip a beat, and they just lean on you and lean on you, which has been great for us because we get an opportunity to see those guys every day in practice, which has been awesome.

On players moving from defense to offense

I don't think it's easy, but guys do it. I think you can do that. If you're a defensive lineman moving to offensive line, I think that's something that's happened in the past and vice versa. Like, Dom, I've heard stories here. Yeah, center, the hard thing about center is you're snapping a ball every play. The good thing about center is you've got help on both sides, right? But, like, the thing about Dom is his toughness and his leadership. Like, you hear him out there. He's making calls. He's tough. He's a guy that's going to give you everything you've got. And I think at the end of the day, when you have guys that are willing to do that, you can mold them and coach them however you want, which is great.

On where he's seen Enow Etta grow

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 Enno 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? Like, those young guys, I talked about the football IQ, about the guys here. The older guys that have played in games, their IQ is up here. The young guys, we got to keep moving it up. And even the older guys, there's still room to improve. But the willingness to do that is second to none. That's why they've been successful. One of the many reasons why they've been successful here.

On whether he vouches for Barham to get snaps on the EDGE

I vouch for him on good things happen when he's on the field. Like, I'm telling you, like, he is special. He is tough and physical and explosive, and he can cover. I mean, the kid can do it. I say the kid, the man can do it all. I really, really respect him. And he's a guy that he's going to be one of those guys where once or twice a game, he's going to make a hit and the crowd's going to go, ooh, because he's going to light somebody up. And he is – he's ready to go. Like, we're ready to go with him, too. It's to the point now where it's like everyone – and this is everybody across the country, right? Everyone's tired of hitting each other. You want to go hit somebody else. Like, you work all 365 days for 12, 13, 14, 15 opportunities, and this is one of them. So it becomes like Christmas. So we're excited about him.

On the younger players on the DL

Yeah, I mean, we just talked about the story with Enow and Mason. I think KG does a great job with Trey Pierce, right? I think Stu does a great job with those edges. And D-Mo does a great job with those edges. The secondary guys, Will, Makari, Rod, and those guys, I mean, they do a great job with those young guys. And I feel like it's like a rite of passage because all those guys have had that happen to them when they first got here. And that's where you say it's a good team and the culture is good because those guys love helping each other. It's truly if somebody else makes a play, guys are just as excited as themselves making a play. And that's the special sauce there. And those guys have done a great job with that. And it's been awesome. And more and more, you see more and more kids every night in here watching film, in here with teammates. Hey, Coach, knock on my door. Hey, Coach, can you watch this play with me real quick? What do you think? And this is before we have meetings. Like, we'll have meetings today, and 90% of the guys have already watched all the clips. So it's been exciting to see that.

On how Jaishawn Barham fits in the concepts

Yeah, I mean, he fits in no matter what system you go to. He's an old school. Like, he's physical. He's tough. Like I said, he can cover. He can rush. You just watch his tape from last year, and he does all that at Maryland. So we'll put him in some great situations here. Coach, that's the, you know, Wink has got a reputation for putting guys in great situations, and that's what he's going to continue to do. Whatever guys are really good at, he's going to put them in those situations. He's going to play based off what his personnel is, and it's been awesome to see. I'm lucky to be around him. It's been great.

On he and Wink's philosophoes

It's great. I mean, it's very similar. Like, again, he's coached at the highest level. He's won at the highest level. You know, he has his system, and for me, I've kind of learned it over the second half of spring, summer, camp, where I feel comfortable enough now. I mean, we're in game plan meetings, and he is great. The whole staff, like, hey, what do you guys think here? What do you think in here? What do you like? Everyone has their own little piece of the game plan, and then he takes what you like and puts it in his words and roll with it. So I'm excited about it. It's been awesome.

On Fresno State's offense

I mean, they have a ton of starts returning. They got a ton of veteran leadership. Their quarterback makes it go, and he's going to move around in that pocket enough where you have to keep him in there. They do a great job. They're a good football team. I feel like their offensive line does a great job working together. They do a good job of passing stuff off in the pass game. And then in the run game, when they're allowed to stay on double teams, they do a great job. And those are things that we're going to have to combat with low pads. We're going to have to keep him in the pocket. We'll have to do some things to make sure that we put our best foot forward, let our personnel and our scheme help us in those situations because they're a really good football team.

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