Entering his second season as Michigan football's defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter has a loaded arsenal of defensive weapons to work with. The 2023 Michigan defense has the potential to be arguably the best defense of the Jim Harbaugh era, which says quite a bit about this year's group.

The Wolverines return eight starters from a 2022 defensive unit that held opponents to just 16.1 points per game. Michigan has proven talent, potential and depth at every position group on defense, which makes for high expectations.

Minter met with the media on Thursday to preview the defense.

"We're seven practices in. I feel good about where we're at," Minter said. "I think the biggest thing is you can tell the amount of work they've put into it."

Before he discussed each position unit specifically, the 40-year-old defensive coordinator spoke on the overall depth of the defense as a whole.

"I think [the depth] is a staple of ours, is to try to rotate a lot of players," Minter said. "Last year, in the first half of the first game, we played 22 players. Our goal this year is to have that upwards of 26 players to be able to be ready to play in the first half of the first game... that's the amount of guys that we trust, that are dependable."

As for the EDGE group specifically, Minter didn't shy away from separating four players — Braiden McGregor, Jaylen Harrell, Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart — from the rest of the pack.

"I think there's really an upper four right now," Minter said. "Those guys are in competition, because as much as they all accept and they all vibe with the rotation, they all want to be the starter, too. That's a big deal."

Minter compared McGregor and Moore, saying both players have had "great camps," while, although they have different skill sets, Harrell and Stewart are both anchoring the other EDGE position.

Recently, there have been concerns that Stewart is undersized for a pass rusher in the Big Ten conference. The Coastal Carolina transfer is listed at 6-foot-1, 245 pounds on the newly updated team roster, which is at least two inches shorter than his three competitors at the top of the EDGE depth chart.

Stewart recorded 15.5 sacks over two seasons with the Chanticleers, so his pass-rushing ability is unquestioned, but when asked if he thinks Stewart can make an impact in the run game, Minter was certain the junior can rise to the challenge.

"If you build an ideal roster and you start with parameters for that position — size, height, weight, length — but there's always an exception," Minter said. "There has to be a quality that boosts that guy up to be able to fit that position. And I think, number one, the tenacity he plays with, the pad level that he can play with, the power that he has, he may be, like 'power rusher,' which, it sounds crazy, but he is a very, very powerful rusher and a powerful edge setter... I expect him to play the run well."

Aside from the top four edge rushers that Minter laid out, junior T.J. Guy was the first and only other name Minter listed that is trying to "push his way in to possibly be a fifth man in that rotation."

"We want to be a team that we can pin our ears back and rush four guys and really, really affect the quarterback."

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