Shaun Nua Provides Update On Luiji Vilain, Likes What He Has In D-Line
For the first time in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan (since 2015), the Wolverines will have a new face leading the defensive line next year.
Greg Mattison departed to become the co-defensive coordinator at Ohio State in early January, and Harbaugh hired Arizona State’s Shaun Nua as his replacement.
The 37-year old Nua spent last season at Arizona State and the six years prior to that at Navy, before retiring as a player from the NFL in 2008.
He met with the media for the first time this evening, and was asked right off the bat why he chose to leave Tempe for U-M.
“Because it’s Michigan,” he said with a smile. “If you’re in this profession, you want to be at the best and on top, and it can’t get any higher than Michigan.”
Fans may still not be all that familiar with Nua, but he provided a sense of what his coaching philosophy is and how he plans to mesh his ideas with defensive coordinator Don Brown’s.
“I’m high energy, a good teacher and someone who can rally the guys and help them accomplish their team goals,” he explained. “You always want to be yourself as a coach, but these guys already have a great foundation with Coach Brown.
“Don is never hands off, and is the kind of leader you want. He makes sure everything from the nose of the defense to the back end is correct. I’ve been following him for a long time now, so it’s an honor to be coaching with him.
“He’s been successful everywhere he’s been — he had the No. 1 defense at Boston College, even though they also had the worst offense. You have to look at the top in this profession, and his name keeps popping up.
“You want to take everything already in place and try and build off of it. These players have been successful for a long time, even though they didn’t necessarily end last year on a high note. The success Coach Harbaugh has had here can’t be overlooked though.”
Nua will certainly have his hands full trying to replenish a defensive line that lost four of its most significant contributors from 2018, in defensive ends Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich, and tackles Bryan Mone and Lawrence Marshall.
He warned not to sleep on the guys Michigan has returning though.
“It’s great to have [senior tackle] Carlo [Kemp], [junior end] Kwity Paye, [sophomore end] Aidan [Hutchinson], [redshirt sophomore tackle Donovan] Jeter and [redshirt junior tackle Michael] Dwumfour,” he noted.
“Their experience is valuable, especially with it being such a young group. Kemp is a great leader who is so unselfish and intelligent. We’re putting a lot on his plate for him to be a leader, and the other guys love him as well.
“I watched every single game on film these guys played last year and have tried to learn the defense that way. We’re only as good as our depth — we want to be at least three deep, and will travel with as many linemen as Coach Brown and Coach Harbaugh allow.”
A lineman that fans have high hopes for this season is redshirt sophomore defensive end Luiji Vilain.
The Canadian has been injured his first two years in Ann Arbor, but came to Michigan as a top-100 recruit who was potentially expected to contribute right off the bat.
“He’s so impressive,” Nua exclaimed. “He’s so athletic and smart too. I thought he might be a little rusty, but he’s off to a great start. The sky is the limit for him, because he can play both anchor and end. It’s time for him to shine and I think he’s ready for it.”
The Maize and Blue are expected to receive potential first-time contributions from several others as well, most notably the three freshmen early enrollees (tackle Mazi Smith and ends David Ojabo and Gabe Newburg) and Central Michigan fifth-year senior transfer defensive end Mike Danna.
“Experience [is why we brought Danna in],” he revealed. “He was so productive at CMU and fits right in with what we’re doing here.
“The early enrollees obviously have an advantage over the other freshmen. I’ve been very impressed with Mazi’s strength so far, and David's and Gabe’s athleticism. The sky is the limit for them as well, and they all need to have the mindset of contributing right away.”
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