Lou Esposito breaks down defensive line that has 'unbelievable toughness'
Michigan defensive line coach Lou Esposito met with Jon Jansen on Wednesday's episode of the 'In the Trenches' podcast to discuss the defensive line talent and depth as the 2024 college football season inches closer.
The 47-year-old defensive line coach was officially hired by Michigan in late March after spending the previous seven seasons with the Western Michigan Broncos. On the most recent episode of 'In the Trenches,' Esposito unsurprisingly noted the talent as something that stood out to him about Michigan.
"Unbelievable toughness, physicality, great traits of athleticism," Esposito said. "Each guy in that front line brings something different that you need to be a great defense. Whether it's Stew's [Josaiah Stewart] ability to be physical, rushing the passer, drop into coverage, D-Mo's [Derrick Moore] job of being able to be an elite edge setter, rush the pass or drop into coverage, play with great effort, Mason [Graham] and KG's [Kenneth Grant] ability to just stone at the line of scrimmage and create a wall."
Michigan's presumed starting front four along the defensive line of Derrick Moore, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant and Josaiah Stewart has proven to be one of the most talented groups in the nation, despite three-quarters of the group not yet having played a snap as an upperclassman.
With Graham and Grant combining for 659 pounds on the interior, Michigan's focus is to create a run wall.
"Since I've been here, I've heard coach Moore talk about it all the time, and I didn't hear it before I got here," Esposito said. "We're going to create a run wall, and that's what those guys do. And they take pride in that. And it's something special. Like, those guys work and do things that are uncommon to most people at their position."
Graham and Grant have both been projected to be taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the duo will combine to intimidate opposing offensive lines all season long. Esposito says there's no hope of taking either player on one-on-one.
"When you put those two guys together, they command double teams," Esposito said. "You can't single-block those guys. And when teams do, you have to make them pay for that. Which, in turn, good defenses are built from the middle back, right? You build it from the front back. And it just helps everybody out. When they play well, everybody else plays well. When Mason and KG have a great practice, the whole defense has a great practice. And they can affect the games in so many different ways that never show up."
Beyond the two interior studs, Michigan is spending fall camp building depth, something it excelled at tremendously last season. Rayshaun Benny is fully participating in fall camp following an ankle injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl, but Michigan is adding depth pieces beyond him, too.
"We have some guys that people don't really know their names yet that are going to be good players for us. Ike [Iwunnah] has been doing a great job. Like, he has progressed probably the most out of everybody since I've been here. When I came here from the spring to where he is now is light years ahead. He still has a ton of room to grow. The other one is Enow [Etta]. Enow, when I got here, was 265 pounds. He is 308 pounds right now."
Esposito also added that Trey Pierce "is another one who played a little bit last year, who they're starting to build that callus. They're starting to build that toughness. They're starting to build that grit."
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