With the Michigan Wolverines football team having lost key contributors Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich, Bryan Mone and Lawrence Marshall from last year’s defensive line, junior defensive end Kwity Paye now serves as the elder statesman of the unit.
He enters 2019 as the most productive d-lineman on U-M’s roster, having started the entire month of October last season when Gary was hurt and also having contributed heavily throughout the rest of the year in a backup role.
Sophomore Aidan Hutchinson is expected earn the starting defensive end job opposite him, but Paye was asked this afternoon which other linemen have been making an impression so far in fall camp.
“[Redshirt sophomore] Luiji Vilain is coming along and now just has to get more reps at the position,” Paye explained. “[Fifth-year senior] Mike Danna isn’t really a young guy but is new to our d-line [after transferring in from CMU] and has impressed everyone.
“[Freshman David] Ojabo is really fast after running track in high school — when he first came in and we saw his speed, we were like ‘wow, this kid can run.’
“We have him on the edge and rushing the line. [Freshmen tackles] Chris Hinton and Mazi Smith are both playing well too.”
With the defensive line arguably the biggest question mark on the whole team heading into the season due to the aforementioned personnel losses, several new faces will be required to make a significant impact, with redshirt sophomore tackle Donovan Jeter perhaps being the best example.
Jeter has been slowed with injuries during his first two years on campus, but finally appears to be ready to contribute at a high level.
“He looks more than 100 percent now,” Paye exclaimed. “His improvement from his freshman year to now has been unbelievable in the way he knocks guards back, plays with more energy and runs to the ball every single play.”
The amount of inexperience across the defensive front (Jeter, junior tackle Ben Mason, Vilain, etc.) is one of the main reasons so many people seem to be doubting the unit heading into 2019, though offensive line coach Ed Warinner admitted earlier this week the group seems ‘hungrier’ to him.
Paye echoed Warinner’s sentiment today.
“I agree with him,” the junior noted. “There is a lot of talk about how we’re young and inexperienced, and we want to prove everybody wrong and show that we won’t be the weak link on this team.”
Notes
• The new up-tempo style of coordinator Josh Gattis' offensive attack has obviously tested the defensive linemen so far in practice, with Paye revealing what it's been like getting used to the speed and nuances of it.
“The RPOs make you have to play the run first," he explained. "If it’s a pass, you have to try and pass rush, but it’s harder for d-linemen to pass rush in that sense. They make us get down fast every single play and it’s the kind of offenses we’ll see during the season.
"Seeing it every single day in practice has helped us improve. It’s [senior quarterback] Shea’s [Patterson] offense and he seems calm and collected while looking at the field back there.
"He takes off and does his thing when a play isn’t there, and has made some no look passes that just made us go wow. I wouldn’t say they’re dictating us, but they’re making us run and work harder.”
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