Kwity Paye Didn't Return To Michigan 'Just To Come Back'

Ahead of Michigan's Citrus Bowl matchup with Alabama last season, senior defensive end Kwity Paye announced his intentions to return to Ann Arbor for one more year as a Wolverine, citing getting his degree (which he is on track to do after this semester) and achieving "even bigger and better things" on the field as reasons for holding off on his professional career.

Paye — along with everybody else in the world — couldn't have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, which put sports on hold and his team's season in jeopardy. But when the Big Ten made the decision to postpone the campaign in August, Paye stuck around Ann Arbor, holding out hope that things would change. It didn't look like that would be the case, until momentum brewed and the Big Ten reversed course in early September.

The Wolverines kick off their late-fall season Oct. 24 at Minnesota, and the star defender will be around to lead the defense. Despite voices in his ear telling him to leave and prepare for the NFL Draft, Paye's "stubbornness" won out.

"That just shows you kind of their goals," he said Wednesday, speaking with reporters via Zoom. "If someone knows you came back for a season and they’re trying to advise you just to leave or an agent is saying just to leave, it’s like, ‘What’s your real interest here? Are you looking for my best interests or yours?’

"I came back for a reason. I didn’t come back just to say I was coming back.

"I came back — I wanted to graduate, I wanted to play a season, and that’s exactly what I did. I’m not really the type of person to take advice from a lot of people.

"Once I have my heart set on something, I want to see it through."

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It's similar to when he chose to come to Michigan in the first place. A three-star recruit, Paye was committed to Boston College before later signing with the Wolverines. Many told him he was making the wrong choice.

"I still remember when I decommitted from Boston College and then committed to here," Paye said. "A lot of people were saying, ‘Oh no, don’t do that. You’re not going to play. You’re making a big mistake. Don’t do it.’

"And then all these years later, all it took was hard work and consistency, and now I am where I am."

What he's become is one of the top edge defenders in all of college football.

A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, Paye made 50 tackles, including 12.5 for loss, 6.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery as a junior in 2019.

The Maize and Blue have gone 27-12 during Paye's career, and have notched some impressive wins, including two triumphs over Michigan State, a blowout win over Notre Dame a year ago and more. But they haven't beaten arch rival Ohio State, advanced to a Big Ten Championship Game, won the league or made the College Football Playoff.

Paye came back for one more shot at achieving all of those things.

"Everybody on this team, we don’t have any rings," he said. "Even our fifth-years, we don’t have any rings, bowl games, we don’t have nothing. We’re all hungry.

"I came to the university to be a champion, and I’m yet to be a champion. I’m trying to accomplish that one thing, because I feel like I’ve done everything that I’m supposed to do.

"I feel like this is a great organization; we’ve done a lot of great things, we just have to finish at the end of the season now. I feel like this year is the year to do it, because it’s my last year.

"I’m giving it all I got, this team’s giving it all we got and we're just trying to get that ring."

Winning championships is the goal, and Paye said the Wolverines don't care about the extra noise, with the national polls never coming up in conversation inside the walls of Schembechler Hall. They hear the chatter and use it as motivation, but moving up in the rankings and receiving recognition from outsiders aren't what drives them.

"I think we are under the radar," Paye admitted. "They have a lot of people beating us. Going into the year, they usually say, ‘Oh, Michigan’s just a decent team,’ but we’re really trying to be different this year. We’re really working hard.

"And this year, I feel like this team is different from past years, and you can just see it from the way we practice and come out and work every single day. We’re just going to continue to work hard."

As a leader, Paye takes ownership in how the Michigan defense performs, and is looking for ways his side of the ball can give the team an edge.

"Before practice every day, Coach [Jim] Harbaugh will read us some stats and stuff like that, on ways that we can win," Paye said. "One of the stats that stuck with me was that teams that score first in the game have a higher percentage of winning that game. So if the defense is up first and we stop them on the first drive, that's kind of a good indication that we have the upper hand in a way. We just gotta be on our Ps and Qs, every time we go out there, doing our job and executing our task."

Paye has taken the time this offseason to work more on his pass rush moves. After losing the team's leader in sacks, Josh Uche, to the NFL, there's more opportunity for others to get after the quarterback, and Paye knows it's on him and fellow end, junior Aidan Hutchinson, to step up.

"I feel like I didn’t show enough of it last year, and that’s just because I feel like I didn’t focus a lot on [pass rush]," Paye said. "But this offseason, I really focused on my go-to moves and my counter.

"This year, since we lost that great pass rusher [Uche], someone’s going to have to step up and be that premier pass rusher, and it’s going to be either me or Aidan.

"We’re just working hard and making sure we’re working on new moves, making sure we’ll be ready for in-game situations when we have to go and get those sacks."

The strength of the defense is the line, Paye believes, and he wouldn't want it any other way.

"I'm thinking the d-line," Paye said, with a laugh, when asked what the unit's top strength is. "I think we're the most experienced, we have the oldest guys on the defense."

• Paye mentioned that depth on the defensive line last year was a concern, but he's more confident in the guys behind the likely starters this time around.

"I think the guys we're seeing a lot in practice are [redshirt sophomore end] Taylor Upshaw, we've been seeing a lot of [redshirt junior end] Luiji [Vilain] and a lot of [redshirt sophomore] Julius Welschof," Paye said. "I feel like those three guys are kind of like working their way into the rotation a lot more, and Jete [redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Donovan Jeter] has been great. He's been great in the past, but I feel like this year Jete is real hungry and feel like he has lots to prove.

Something we lacked last year was the rotation, but I feel like this year it will be different."

Vilain, specifically, has stood out to Paye, especially considering he had to battle back from multiple injuries.

"Me and Luiji are best friends, so I'm always with him," Paye said. "At times, you could see he was frustrated and kind of down. But I feel like if there's a harder working person than me, I would say it's Luiji. He made sure he took care of himself during his injury process. He made sure he took the treatment seriously and made sure he got back to where he needs to be. And now it's just getting the reps and the experience. Luiji will be on his way up."

• In going up against the Wolverines' revamped offensive line in practice, Paye has a good feel for the group. He lauded redshirt sophomores Ryan Hayes and Jalen Mayfield at the tackle spots.

"Jalen, obviously, is a returning starter," Paye said. "But someone who has impressed me is Ryan Hayes. We've talked about him in the past and how he's been taking that leadership role on the offensive line and how he's determined to get better and improve. He's taking more reps in one-on-ones, and trying to do his best in everything he does, whether it's in the weight room, on the field, before practice, after practice — just trying to work his craft more and more.

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